Seventh Quarter Quell
by InsaneXBexX24
Summary: Katniss and Peeta's attempt at a rebellion failed. District 12 joins District 13 in defeat, making only 11 districts in Panem. 100 years later, the Games are still going. And with the newest Quarter Quell announcement, how deadly can the Games be this year?
1. The Announcement

Everyone is watching television. No exceptions. If you are starving, dying, or anything else, you must watch the television. Today is the most feared day in Panem. The day that children in districts 1, 2, and 4 are eagerly awaiting. The day that children in districts 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 fear. No one is safe today.

Today is the Quarter Quell announcement.

Our president, President Rector, will read the faded envelope marked _175 _today. It will reveal the twist in the Hunger Games this year. President Rector has been leading Panem since President Hickham's death after the 137th Hunger Games. Rector has a slightly relaxed lead than Snow or Hickham, but he is still strict.

I am sitting silently on the destroyed couch in our living room. My little brother just turned twelve, and he is shaking while sitting beside me. My little sister is only seven, and she doesn't know why the Quarter Quell announcement is so feared. My mother and father are sitting on the newer couch they got last week by our furniture dealer, Gotham Nail. He gave furniture away these days. It was great for my parents, who needed to save money to buy a new bull.

Suddenly, the anthem blares and the seal show up on screen. Jetta, absentmindedly, sings the words. She just learned them, while I knew them for over ten years. I feared this moment for three years. Being born near a Quarter Quell was bad luck here. You don't want to suffer the twist in the Games.

President Rector steps up to the podium. He looks as normal as ever. He's seventy years old and his white hair shows it. His features are sunken in and I guess it's from stress of being the president of such a horrible country. He opens his thin mouth and starts his speech.

"Today is a big day. Tonight is when I will make the Quarter Quell announcement. But, as President Hickham and Snow did before me, the history of our great natation comes first." Here he goes. "After natural disasters and wars, Panem rose from the ashes of a long gone North America. It was ringed by thirteen loyal districts. But, the Dark Days were upon us. The districts fought, but they were no match for the Capitol. With District Thirteen destroyed, the Hunger Games were born. They kept the remaining twelve districts in line, until Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark were chosen for the seventy-fourth Hunger Games."

I begin to zone out. I have learned this year after year in school. Katniss and Peeta defied the Capitol by threatening double suicide. They go home together and return for their Quarter Quell. They break out of the arena. District 12 is bombed. District 13 is still alive. Katniss ignites a rebellion. Blah, blah, blah.

"Before Katniss could do any real damage, the Capitol repeatedly bombed District 13. The bombings resulted in her death, along with everyone in District 13. The Hunger Games continued as normal, but with only twenty two tributes instead of twenty four. There was no victor for the seventy fifth Hunger Games." Rector grabs a list and he starts reading it.

He basically reads off every Quarter Quell. I can remember these by heart, thanks to the lovely schooling in Panem.

First Quarter Quell: Every district voted for their tributes.

Seconds Quarter Quell: Twice as many tributes go in.

Third Quarter Quell: Victors who are alive are reaped.

Fourth Quarter Quell: The Cornucopia was not in the arena.

Fifth Quarter Quell: All District citizens were eligible for the Reaping.

Sixth Quarter Quell: No one can volunteer for the child who has been reaped.

President Rector grabbed a yellowed with age envelope with the number _175 _on the fold. He opened it slowly and Jace sucked in his breath. "For the seventh Quarter Quell, to remind the citizens that the rebels fought with people they didn't see eye-to-eye on, the tributes this year will be paired with someone not from their district."


	2. The Reaping

Reaping day has arrived. Jace could barely sleep, so he camped out in my room. I woke up at five thirty, to tend to the livestock that gives us meaning in Panem. My parents normally wake up an hour or two later than me, but it is Reaping day. They will sleep in, along with everyone in District 10. The Reapings don't start until two, and everyone wants to sleep in. I make my way towards the pasture, where our cattle graze.

I make my way out of my house to the pasture. We have the largest cattle farm and this is where the best cattle are raised. We let them out daily, take them in when the weather doesn't agree, and feed them the best food. The Capitol does take our cattle, but they enjoy it very much. I can tell, because President Rector even sent a personal note saying, '_Thank you, Caldwell farm for producing such fine meat._'

I jump the fence and open the barn door. Twelve cows and bulls make their way to the grassy area. My favorite cow, Philomena, waits her turn instead of rushing out. When she comes out, she nuzzles me on my neck. I am shorter than most people in District 10. That's why Philomena can nuzzle my neck. I'm only five foot tall, anyway. Philomena is a simple Holstein and she gives us the best milk.

I pet Philomena and I went to fill the water trough. The grass was tall enough so that the cows can just eat that. I jump back over the fence and go to the horse barn. I feed and water the four horses we own, petting each one as I walk away. If I get called today, will I ever see my horse or Philomena again? I walked back out to the open area of farm and the sun was just rising. It must be six o'clock right now. I head to the building where we keep our hay.

When I walk in, I see my pitchfork hanging up along with an array of knives we bought last year. My father bought them for me when I was closed to being called at the Reaping. The girl beside me got chosen, and my father wants me to be prepared for anything. I grabbed the smallest knife and started to throw. My father did use red tape to mark a bull's-eye and so I can have a target. The knife hit the bull's-eye, dead center.

Every knife I threw was bull's-eye. I have been training for a while, but never expected to be as good as a kid who grew up in District 1 or 2. When I collect my knives, the door opens. My father stares as me, with his ocean blue eyes and tanned skin. His voice is rusty when he speaks. "Jada, it's time to get ready." He rubs his hand threw his raven hair and escorts me back to the house.

When I walk in, Jace and Jetta are already dressed up. Jace was in a simple plaid shirt and dress pants. He was still wearing his cowboy boots. Jetta was wearing one of my old dresses. It was a short blue dress, and it fit her just right. Jetta and Jace looked like my mother. Blond hair, green eyes, pale skin, and a weaker body. I look like my father. We both have blue eyes, tanned skin, dark hair, and have a stronger physique to work with the cattle.

I went into my bedroom and saw a gown in a green shade. The looked fairly new and I couldn't figure out why it was new. We had more money than most, but why would my mother give me a new dress and not Jetta? I shrugged and I put on my dress. It fit perfectly, hugging my body and it made me feel pretty and not just a girl who worked with cattle. I quickly pulled all my hair to my left side and placed in a ponytail. I slipped on my green flats and stepped out from my bedroom. Jace ran to me and hugged my legs. I'm short, but Jace is still shorter than me. His grip tightened on my legs as I tried to move.

"I don't wanna be picked." He cried. I felt tears on my dress and I kneeled down.

"You have one slip in thousands, Jacey." I assure him. "My name is in there four times. Our chance of our names being picked is small."

"Jetta's name needs to be in there." He says as he wipes his eyes.

"She's not twelve yet." My mother says.

"We won't know who gets picked until we get to the Reaping." I say, holding Jace's hand.

When we arrive at the Town Center, crowds of teenagers were already there. I showed Jace to the Twelve section while I made my way to the Fifteen section. We stood and waited for Mayor Overbaker to come up to the stage. When the clock stuck two, Mayor Overbaker took to the podium. He welcomed us to the Reaping and wished us good luck. He read the names of past victors. Over 175 years, we only had a handful. Seven, to be exact. Two are still alive. Their names are Annabelle Tilson and Dane Gurley. Annabelle was still rather young, around late twenties, I believe She won the 163th Hunger Games. Dane is older. He won the 150th Hunger Games. Annabelle and Dane take their seats while our escort pops up on stage.

Kiani Marble had been our escort for years. Her color scheme changes every so often. At my first Reaping, she was covered head to toe in green. She looked sick. This year, everything about this thin woman was purple. Her skin has been dyed, her long straight hair was also dyed, and even her eyes had the same hue. She looks like a walking flower.

"Hello, District Ten. I am pleased to be your escort. I am also pleased to show you a video brought to you all the way from the Capitol." Her high pitched voice stops when the video begins. According to my father, this video has been played every year. But, after the 75th Hunger Games, the story about Katniss and Peeta was added. The video then shows the ruins of Districts 12 and 13 and I see Kiani mouth the words the video says, '_Katniss and Peeta could not see how much Panem cared for them. We let both of them live, and they decided to revolt. If you do what they did, this would be your fate. Your district would be covered in rubble. Do not do what Katniss and Peeta have done._'

The video ends and I can see Jace looking at me. I wiggle my three middle fingers at him. He does the same until Kiani starts up again. "May the odds be ever in your favor. Ladies first!" She crosses to the glass bowl with girl names written on them. In the thousands of slips, four slips read _Jada Caldwell_. My best friend, Hadley Hasten, is standing beside me. Her brown eyes ringed with tears. She isn't as well off as I am, and has her name in the bowl about twenty times. She has two brothers and both of her parents. We held hands, hoping that she didn't grab our names.

She lingers around the bowl, taking her precious time and finally grabs a name. She walks to the microphone and reads the name.

"Hadley Hasten!"


	3. Complete Sacrifice

The name bounces in my skull. Hadley's grip on my hand tightened, cutting off my circulation. How could Hadley be picked? I know she has multiple names, more than I have, but I know seventeen and eighteen year olds with over 40 names in the ball. Hadley cannot survive the Games. I know this for a fact. She is suffering a disease that makes her body weaker than normal. She's even weaker than my mother, who is naturally weak. I know she can't survive.

"Hadley?" Kiani asks, looking into the crowd. Hadley lets go of my hand and walks up to the stage. She stands out, hobbling her way to Kiani. She also stood out for the right reasons. No one else in District 10 has her hair color. It was a perfect auburn, and it glistens in the sunlight. Her body is thin, but not too thin like people from the poorer part of 10.

Hadley just passes the Thirteen section when I find my feet shuffling to her. I call her name, and she turns around. Peacekeepers try to hold me back. My feet kick up dust and my nails dig into their arms. "Hadley! I..." Was I really going to say the word? "I...I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" The Peacekeepers let me go and Hadley wobbles to me.

"Well, we have a volunteer!" Kiani says, excitement seeping in her words. Hadley wraps her skinny arms around me, her height making me seem much shorter than I was. I hugged her tighter than I should, her ribs rubbed against my body.

"What are you doing?" Hadley asks in my ear.

"Saving you." I answer.

Her mouth opened, but the Peacekeepers pulled us apart. Their hands were placed on my lower back as they led me to the stage. I never liked the Peacekeepers. They always give me a look, a look of desire. I know which family I come from. The Caldwell family has owned the largest farm for over 90 years. The Caldwell's were as wealthy as the mayor, but not as wealthy as the Capitol.

Kiani beckons me to join her. The Peacekeepers handed me over and I was standing next to the woman who smelled of flowers. She smelled like a lily, I am dead serious. "Congratulations to District Ten's newest tribute. What's your name?"

A microphone is shoved in my face as I say, "Jada Caldwell." I see surprise on everyone's face. I see Jace's blue green eyes fill with tears. A Caldwell has never been in the Hunger Games before. I sneak a glance to my parents. My mother has hidden her face in her hands and my father was consoling her. Jetta seems to be holding her composure, not sure what I was doing on stage.

"You didn't her to steal the glory, now did you?" She doesn't wait for my response. "Let's give it up for our new tribute!" _Don't clap for me. I don't deserve your claps. _I am thinking and hoping they don't clap. No one does. I see Jace extend his middle three fingers to me. First Jace, then his friend, then the whole Twelve section does the same. It spread like a virus, and everyone extended their three middle fingers. By the look on Kiani's face, this is very rare.

No one has used the District 12 salute in many years. Actually, I think no one is allowed to use it because of its origin in 12. I know exactly why they did it to me. I'm a well-liked child from a well-liked family. No one wants to see me suffer, let alone my family. I choke back tears and hoped no tears would spill today.

Kiani shrugs off the salute and goes right back to the Reaping. "Now, it's time for the boys." She goes to the bowl with the boys names. She lingers over the bowl, just like she did with the girls. She grabbed a slip and quickly read the name. "Stiles Biggs."

Everyone turned to a tiny twelve year old, right in front of the stage. Oh, no. Not a twelve year old. This is one reason I completely hate the Hunger Games. Twelve years olds are just beginning their lives. Nothing is more painful to watch a young child die in the arena. Although, there was a Games where a twelve year old won. She was little enough to hide away and no one could find her. She is about twenty now and she lives in the Capitol. She originally lived in District 9.

Stiles had the look of the poorer part of District 10. He had curly light brown hair, dark eyes, and a thin body where you can see his ribs. His features were sunken in from extreme starvation. He could be mistaken to have the disease that Hadley has. I know I am not paired with him. I feel really bad for the person who actually _is _paired with him.

Kiani asks for volunteers, and no one stands up. I expected this. Friendships and family only go so far on Reaping day. What I did for Hadley is a complete sacrifice. I would have done it for Jetta, but I'll be twenty by the time she is eligible for the Reaping. That is, if I am alive after this.

"District Ten, I give you your tributes!" Kiani grabbed my right hand and Stiles' left hand and raised them in hers. "May the odds be _ever _in your favor." The anthem blared as we faced the cameras. This was going to be played all over Panem later today. Kiani led us into a room in the Justice Building. Here is where I wait for the hardest part before the Capitol.

My good-byes.


	4. Don't Go!

When the anthem ended, I was thrown into a room that smelled of pine. I was sitting on a couch with cushions to protect from the exposed wood. The whole room was wood. I didn't mind. Pine, willows, and oak trees surround my farm. Their fragrance was constantly filling the air, replacing the smell of dirty cows. I was waiting for my visitors. The door opened and the Peacekeepers threw my family in. "You have five minutes!" he yelled.

Jace and Jetta wrapped their arms around me. Jetta sat on my lap while Jace sat on the seat beside me. My mother hugged me, her tears spilling on the new dress she got me. My father was standing, waiting for the hugs to get out of our system. Jetta wouldn't let go of my neck. "Jada, do you have to go?"

"Yes, Jester." I have been calling her Jester since she was four. She chased a chicken all over our farm, and it almost went to town, just to put it to bed. "I have to go. I promise I'll come back."

"I knew I wasn't going to be picked!" I ruffled Jace's hair. "I feel bad for Stiles. I don't think he'll make it."

"Jace, don't say that. They said that about that twelve year old who won about eight years ago." My father's voice quieted everyone. I pried Jetta off of my neck and hugged my father. I didn't want to be the first Caldwell to die from the Hunger Games. I didn't want to let go of my father, whose muscles tightened around my body.

"I promise I'll take care of Philomena and Locomotion for you." His voice cascades down my back, since he is taller than me. I am the only one in the Caldwell family who is five foot tall. My throat forms a lump when he mentions Locomotion. Loco is my horse. I always rode him after the Reapings, going onto the trails that I loved to ride on, happy I wasn't chosen.

But, Loco is not going to be ridden today.

Their visit is over and Jace hung on to my legs. "Jacey, let go." I whisper is a harsh tone.

"No! NO!" He wails as Peacekeepers grab his sides. My dad finally picks up Jace and carries him in his arms, out of the room. Jetta and my mother follow them. I sit back down on the couch.

I look from wall to wall and see pictures of past victors. I see Annabelle's picture, with the number _163 _behind her. Dane's picture is him staring intensely at the camera. His respective Hunger Games year was layered behind him. I saw five more pictures and noticed the years: _78_, _81_, _99_, _104_, and _111_. I know some of the victors died from overdose or too much drinking. I believe the victors from the 104 and 111 Hunger Games died from old age. At least there is a live victor that I can have. Annabelle.

The door swings open and I see Hadley. She hobbles her way to me and collapses on the couch. I hugged her gently, closing my eyes. I can still feel her ribs. "Why? Why did you volunteer? I..." She loses her voice in tears. Warm, salty tears landed on my shoulder. I didn't mind, and I cried on her shoulder.

"I had to. You weren't going to make it past the bloodbath. You know how hard that would be for your family?" I answer her, releasing her scrawny body. Her body was not a result of her sickness, but the result of undernourishment. That, combined with her sickness, would make her easy pickings for the upper Districts. They'd eat her up like they eat their divine meals, in the worst way possible.

"I know. I hope you get paired with someone from District One or Two." Her voice cracks and I know it's still hard for her.

"Me too." I say, and we sit for a moment in silence.

Her eyes graze to the walls and I know she's looking at the victors. We spend the last two minutes talking about them and we planned my strategy. I have to talk it over with Annabelle, but we already decided what I will do.

"Hadley, before you go, tell my father that I said you can get food from us. I can't revoke your tesserae, but you can get more food from my parents."

"Are you sure?" Her brown eyes grew large when I mentioned food.

"Yes. Have your family go to my house to eat meals. That will take care of your weight. When I come back, I want to see meat on your bones." I joked, hoping she didn't take that the wrong way.

"Thank you!" She hugged me tightly. She didn't take it the wrong way. She wished me good luck and is escorted out by the Peacekeepers.

Stiles, being only twelve, has the most visitors. I only had my family and the friend I saved from her premature death. I had a long time until Annabelle or Dane came to fetch me. I looked at the past victors, and replayed their games in my head. Annabelle used her slyness and snuck food out of everyone. When there was only five left, she searched everyone down and sprinkled nightlock juice among their food. Dane went in the different direction. He scored a nine on his training, came off as a killer, and proved it in the arena. He made a mad dash to the Cornucopia and grabbed the best weapons. He killed over half of the tributes by his hand.

My mind wondered from memory to memory. How many visitors does Stiles actually have? I looked to the ceiling and my mind wondered off.

_I woke up on a sunny summer day. The Hunger Games that year just ended and, obviously, District 2 reeled in a victor. That I didn't mind for. When I woke up, my dad was standing over me. He had a pair of boots that could fit over my small feet. From the looks of those boots, they were new. "Jada put these on and come to the pasture. I have a surprise for you!" He placed the boots on the floor. _

_I jumped out of bed, put on my clothes and my boots and headed towards the door. I see my mother, holding my newest sibling, Jetta, in her arms while Jace played with a cow toy. I ran outside as fast as my nine-year-old legs could carry me. I saw a baby cow, curled in a ball near the fence._

"_Daddy! A baby cow!" I yell, running to the newest member our cattle farm._

"_Yes. She was born earlier this morning. And I want you to have her." His eyes sparkled as I accepted._

"_I am going to name her...Philomena!" I exclaim, trying to hold me excitement back._

"_Pet her." My dad grabbed my wrist and placed my fingers on my newly acquired Holstein. Her head was soft and it felt tingly under my fingertips. My lips curled into a wide smile. It was my first time seeing a baby cow and petting one. Philomena lifted her eyes to meet mine and mooed._

_Dad lifted me over the fence and put me face to face with the baby. Her dark eyes were very large, staring into mine. Suddenly, she stretched her neck and nuzzled my cheek. I smiled, smiled like I never smiled before, and hugged her neck. She let out a weak moo._

The door swung open and I saw Annabelle standing in front of me. She was wearing a simple sky blue dress and her blond hair was in loose curls. Her jewelry was excessive, especially on her wrists. Her dark green eyes were friendly, giving me a feel that I can talk to her. Her thick lips were smeared with a pale pink lipstick.

"You ready for the Capitol?"


	5. To The Capitol

**A/N: I am in love with this story. I am updating every day (or few hours!), wanting it to come out as amazing as I can make it. I am glad that you are reading this story and enjoying it. If you have an idea, tell me! I would love to hear your input on the Seventh Quarter Quell. Thank you, and enjoy the chapter.**

Stiles and I are quickly escorted to the train, ready to see the Capitol. When I was little, I wanted to see the Capitol. Or, any other place than District 10. But, as I grew up, working with Philomena, Loco, and all the other livestock, I thought the Capitol had the weirdest sense of not having any animals. I guess they have little dogs, but I think they should at least have a horse.

The train was the most wonderful thing I have ever seen. The seats were a dark blue, with velvet on them, the tables were made of dark wood, and the food. I have had some of the food on the table before, so I wasn't so taken aback. Stiles, on the other hand, his eyes filled with the food. He walked towards the food, grabbing what he can carry. We sit side by side, in two velvet seats. He starts shoving food in his mouth.

"Wan some?" He asks, his mouth full. He shoves an éclair to my face.

"No thanks. I'm not hungry." I reply. Not many people in 10 can say what I just said.

He swallows his food, and speaks again. "What's it like? Having all the food you want?"

"Uh...It's..." I never answered. Heels started to click and Kiani walked in, followed by Annabelle and Dane. Kiani's voice, that super bird-like voice, hit my ears.

"That was the best Reaping from District Ten yet!" She says, sitting at a booth with a small glass of a clear drink.

Annabelle shrugged off Kiani's excitement and sat in front of me. She looks like she did a when she came to fetch me. I didn't get a good look at Dane, but I did when he sat in front of Stiles. Dane was in his forties and his features were a little saggy. He turned to drinking when his Games ended, much like many victors. His short, raven hair was in a tangled mess, his eyes were a dull gray, and he has put on much weight since his Games. He didn't even look like the sixteen year old in his victor picture in the Justice building.

Dane refilled his drink, a musty brown liquid, and looked at Stiles. He was examining what he has to work with. A scrawny little boy, weak from hunger, and he's shoving desserts in his mouth. He shot a glance at me with envy for Annabelle. I have meat on my bones, a pretty face, and strong from working with livestock weighing in at over a thousand pounds.

"So, you're going to help us to survive?" Stiles asks Dane when his mouth was clear from food.

"Slow down, boy." Dane replies, sipping his liquor. "You gotta keep in mind that you are gonna be paired with not from District Ten. Given the chances that you'll get a female from One, Two, or Four, you might not survive."

"Dane!" Annabelle nudged him. "You said that to me when I won my Games. You said, 'You might not survive' and look where I am!"

"He's twelve. You know the chances of a twelve year old to win the Games?" He sipped his liquor again, not bothering to look at the frightened boy in front of him.

"Jana..." Annabelle stands up.

"It's Jada." I reply.

"Jada." She grabs a dessert and sits back down. "What are your strengths?" I look at Stiles, who is eating more food as Dane is talking to him.

"I can throw very well." I tell her, making sure Stiles can't hear me.

"Oh, a thrower. Like knives or spears?"

"Um...both?" Do sharp kitchen knives and a pitchfork count as throwing knives and a spear?

"Perfect. You will be a strong contender." Annabelle says before the conversation seized to exist.

I looked out the window of the train and saw the landscape pass by before my eyes. The trees zip by, not giving me a chance to look at them. I've only been on the train for...ten, fifteen minutes...and I long for when I see trees again. I want the arena to be a forest. I believe it will be. Last year, the arena was a desert. The year before that, the arena was an island. The last time the arena was a forest was when I was born.

I see lights in the distance. It looks like lights from another district. I wonder what district it is. I didn't have to time to think before Kiani sent us off to another compartment. We need to watch the recap of the Reapings. As we made our way in, the Panem seal was on the screen. I watched every Reaping with my memory on hyper drive. I remembered every name and whether they volunteered or not. Without fail, most of the tributes from 1, 2, and 4 volunteered.

District 1: Flitter and Quaid. District 2: Camilla and Lucifer. District 3: Rahi and Malloy. District 4: Hollis and Louis. District 5: Skylar and Devin. District 6: Lily and Collin. District 7: Faith and Kade. District 8: Parker and Milo. District 9: Jae and Omar. District 11: Carly and Neal.

As I watched, I took notice of the one boy from District 1 who did not volunteer. Quaid. He has a strong body, probably from training all of his life. He had golden hair, wheat golden hair even. It was short and complimented his face. I could barely see his eyes, but they looked emerald green. Quaid was chosen by the lottery and no one volunteered for him. That is very...odd.

I sized up my competition from the Reaping recap. The tributes from 3, 6, 7, 9, and 11 look weak so I am not worried about them. Everyone else looks like they have a fighting chance. I won't know about them until I see them train and see their training scores. I also noticed another twelve year old tribute from 7, Faith. I don't think she'll make it past the bloodbath.

We went back to the compartment where we originally were. I look out the windows and we are arriving at the Capitol. The train started to slow down and I took in the sights. Everything looked chrome and dazzling. Coming from one of the three poorer districts (the other two being 9 and 11), this is a shock to me and Stiles. I glance to Stiles, who has his face pressed to the window, soaking up everything the Capitol showed him.

We pulled into the station and I saw the abundance of Capitol citizens. They are screaming for us. Who would want to cheer for tributes from District 10? I heard my name escape their lipstick smeared lips. I tried not to cringe at their dyed skin. One person was dyed a terrible shade of crimson, looking like they were skinned alive. I waved to everyone, giving them what they want.

Annabelle got me to snap back to reality as she led me into the Remake Center.


	6. Innocent and Simple

I am lying on a table, waiting patiently for my prep team to finish giving more color to my hair. Simultaneously, my leg hair was being assaulted by being ripped off of my skin. They didn't need to work on my body too much, coming from a better off family. They finished their work, greasing down my body and marveling at their work. They look so plastered, so fake that it makes me sick. They look like they haven't eaten in days. If they had a normal appearance, they'd fit right into District 10.

"You look lovely." A thin lady with high, green hair admired. "Wait here for Eleora. She'll be here soon." The prep team, whose names I didn't catch, walked out while I waited for my stylist. I remembered her name from last year. She worked with District 10 last year, decking out the tributes in cow costumes. They looked nice, but those tributes didn't get any sponsors. And they both died on the second day.

I look out the window and saw the tall buildings in my face. The tallest building at home is the Justice Building. It's no higher than two stories, but it is raised by pillars. It felt rather odd that the whole window was exposed. But, I am so high up that I am sure no one can see my stark naked body.

Suddenly, the door opens. I see a young woman walk in, her hair straight down her back. Her hair was a purple hue, but it was a darker shade of purple. It wasn't overwhelming like Kiani's. She wasn't dressed in something exposing or crazy. She wore a simple black sweater and a pair of jeans. Jeans. I never saw a Capitol citizen, let alone a stylist for the Hunger Games, wear something simple like jeans. Maybe this is Eleora's fashion statement. Or she's just not right in the head.

She wordlessly inspected my body. She made slight noises of approval as she went her rounds. Her eyes were rimmed with silver eyeliner. She has worn the silver eyeliner for a while, pretty much every time I saw her on the television. She's young, and she's been the stylist for five years. She worked with District 11 twice before moving up one district.

"You have a lovely figure. I believe I can work with this." She says, handing me a silk robe. I put it on as she starts talking. "Jada, you have natural beauty. That's something no amount of make-up or costumes can give you."

"Thank you, Eleora." I reply. That was something I thought no one would say to me.

"So, you're from District Ten. Livestock. What kind of livestock do you specialize in?" She asks. She asks me like she really wants to know.

"Cattle and equines." I answer.

"Innocent and simple animals. Perfect. You see, the chariot rides are so over done with the costumes. They are too over the top. Watching them ride up in silly costumes year after year for twenty seven years can be dull." I knew she was young. "You aren't going to compare to anyone else, because you have no desire to."

"Come again?" I am not sure where she's going with this.

"When was the last time you felt you were innocent to the Hunger Games and the rest of Panem, Jada?"

A few hours later, I am dressed in a simple outfit. It's the simplest costume I've seen in the Hunger Games so far. And, after watching them at home for fourteen years, I know that my costume won't cause a riot. It's a simple sundress, but in the pattern of a Holstein cow. The dress reached to my knees and I had white leggings on underneath. My shoes were black flats with sparkles adorning them. I had natural make-up on. Little bit of black eyeliner, a little of mascara on my eyelashes, and some pink stuff on my cheeks Eleora called blush. My hair was in braids, two on each side of my head. Woven into the braids are strains of real grass. I lift them to my nose, the scent of home lingering at my face.

We are waiting for the ceremonies to start. I see District 1's tributes going around and looking at everyone. They look...amazing in their outfits. Flitter is wearing a white ball gown covered in green gems, her hair in sexy curls, and make-up strewn on her face. Quaid has a respective costume, a white tux covered in green gems. His eyes matched the gems and I couldn't believe how stunning they were. And...I hate to think about it...about how they _might_ be dead come the end of the Quarter Quell.

I sneak a look to Stiles. I fared better than him, I can tell. He was wearing a shirt and dress pants in the pattern of an Ongole. An Ongole is a cow that is all white and has a strange looking hump on the back of its neck. He didn't get the hump (good for him) and his outfit was basically white. He won't get many sponsors by the looks of it. His stylist, Jarvis, must have been a novice. Or misunderstood Eleora's meaning.

I placed my hand on a horse's neck as I glanced at the costumes. District 4 looks like fish. District 8 looks like a mish mash of clothes. District 7 looks like trees. Trees? The stylist couldn't do any better than a tree? I looked at the horse I was petting. He was a black Clydesdale and he looked straight ahead. I scratched his neck as I waited for any sign for the ceremonies to start.

"You're from District...Eleven?" I hear a male voice ask from above me. I look up and see the boy from District 2, Lucifer staring down at me. His gladiator costume reflected the lights and into my face.

"Ten, actually." I reply, still petting the horse.

"What are you supposed to be?" His brown eyes beat into me. People from District 2 seem mean on T.V, and I know now that they really are. He was making fun of me for being simple.

"Luce, cut it out." Quaid says as he places a hand on Lucifer's shoulder. "Sorry, Ten. Luce just wanted to see who he was up against. What are you, anyway?"

"A Holstein." I reply. This boy in front of me was nice. He didn't do what I expected, like joining Lucifer in making fun of me.

"A what?" He asks. I can hear a joking tone in his words.

"It's a type of cow." I clarify. Suddenly, a voice calls out Quaid's district and he has to leave. Lucifer follows behind him. I get into my chariot, ready to get this over with. District 1 rolls out, and the roar of the crowd overpowers my thoughts. District 2 follows. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 leave before I remember where I am. Our chariot is up next. Eleora screams over the music to me.

"Smile. They'll love you! Good luck!"

"District Ten!" a voice booms over the music. Our horses pull out and I see a swarm of Capitol citizens. They are still probably cheering for Flitter and Quaid, but they are looking right at me. I pick up my arm and wave to them. Some wave back, some keep screaming, and I hear my name ripple through the crowd. How can a simple sundress cause this much commotion?

My name is everywhere. I know they won't remember me when the Games are over, but they still scream my name. Before I realize it, a rose is being thrown to my head. I catch it with a flourish of my hand and smell it. Just like home. I wave in the direction of the giver and smile to them. I might have gotten too carried away. I started to blow kisses to them and wave to them. They loved it, anyway.

The chariots pull into a semi-circle in front of President Rector's mansion. He welcomes us to the Capitol and wishes us luck in the Hunger Games. Before he says 'Good night' to the crowd, he says something that completely surprises everyone. "This year, since the tributes will be fighting alongside someone not from their district, there will be two victors!"

My mouth drops as the anthem blares and we make our way into the Training Center. Eleora rushes over to me and hugs me. "You did wonderful, darling." She pronounces the word like 'dah-ling'. "Everyone loved you...even that boy from Two. Look at him." She tilts her head and I see Lucifer ignoring Camilla to look at me. "Let's hope you get someone from an upper district. I know how badly you want to go home."

As we walk towards the elevator, I sniff the grass in my braids one last time. _Philomena, you're here with me. I'm proud to say I looked like you tonight, silly cow._


	7. Training

When the elevator stops on floor ten, my mouth drops. Everything is dazzling and it looks bigger than the whole Caldwell farm. If you put two Caldwell farms together, you'd get the size of the whole apartment. Kiani keeps babbling on about the opening ceremonies, hoping that we were dressed with more 'flavor'. I ignore her and I go for 'my' bedroom. Annabelle leads me there, saying the dinner will be in an hour.

I go for the bathroom. I throw off my outfit and undo my braids. When I step into the shower, I am greeted with multiple buttons. I press the most obvious one, 'warm water regulator' and let myself get soaked. I clicked a button that made me smell like freshly cut grass. When I finished up, I stepped on a mat that dried my body before my eyes. My hair was also blow dried, untangling my hair and making it completely dry. I grabbed a fuzzy robe and threw it over my naked body.

I head back to my room and notice how clean everything is. Nothing is on the ground. I pick some clothes from the dresser and I only have to choose from a nightgown and a too large shirt. I grab the large shirt and change into it. I glance around. There are pictures of each victor from the Hunger Games, dating back to the 115th Hunger Games. I see the boy who won last year, Pace, from District 3. I wonder if my picture will be on the walls of the bedrooms and Justice Building someday.

I sit on the bed and look at the window. I pick up a remote from the end table and go through the settings. A picture suddenly comes up of people walking the Capitol streets. I click a button and the picture changes to an ocean view. I click the button again and a picture switches to a trail lined with trees. I hear birds whistling and I swear I can feel a breeze. It looks like the same trial I ride Locomotion on. I keep the picture on letting in fill my room.

As I am moving towards the door to eat my dinner, I step on something. I look down and see the robe I threw off. But, something was underneath it. I remove the robe from the ground and see a gold pin. A bird was connected to a ring by its wings. I haven't seen this pin in my life, but I know where it came from.

100 years ago, the Capitol was infested with a mockingjay craze caused by Katniss. Pins, watches, clothes, and everything else had a mockingjay on it. After Katniss's death, all mockingjay merchandise was thrown away, never to be seen again. I grabbed the pin and quickly placed it under my pillow. I move towards the dining room, letting the pin leave my mind.

"There she is. I was going to get you." Annabelle exclaims. "We have a fabulous dinner for you and Stiles." I take my seat next to Annabelle and stare at the roasted duck on the table. A creamy substance covered the bird and there was a multitude of fruits, vegetables, drinks, and everything else I could think of. I grab what I want and start to eat.

"You looked fabulous at the ceremonies." Kiani compliments me, but I know she'd rather work with District 1. "I'm sure the audience is going to remember you in the arena."

"That was what I was going for." Eleora says as she sits down. "Year after year, the tributes don't look like anything like they did during interviews. That's why I can never keep up with them."

"You should have done something more spectacular. I don't think they'll win sponsors with simple stuff." Dane says, looking right at Eleora.

"Who knows? If they pull an amazing training score, maybe they'll reel in sponsors."Kiani is trying to eat without smearing her lipstick. "I think we might have a chance."

"What do you think about the double victory?" Annabelle asks, playing with her bouncy curls. "They haven't done that in over ninety years."

"I think it's a great change." I say without thinking. "It gives people hope and shows that Games aren't all completely terrible."

"Nice look on it. I just think they are manipulating you and everyone else." Dane sips his liquor as Annabelle shoots him a nasty look.

"Stop being so bitter!" She exclaims, cutting up her duck. "You're such a killjoy."

I look to Stiles, who is sitting next to Dane, shoving food in his mouth. I, personally, have never seen someone shove food into their mouths. Hadley's brother, Hartley, did it as a joke once, but I never seen someone do it because they were hungry. Stiles had no say in the conversation what so ever. As he ate, I swore I could see his bones disappearing.

The next morning, we are lined up in the Training Center. District 1 first, boy surpassing the girl, down to District 11. We were all wearing similar shirts and pants, stripes down the sides in colors of our district. For District 10, Stiles and I have a golden color down the sides of the outfit. On our shoulders is the number of our district. A normal looking woman is standing in front of us with Peacekeepers behind her. She was wearing an all-black outfit with a clip board in her hands.

Her voice had the Capitol accent, but it wasn't as obnoxious. "This is where you will learn the art of survival and learn everything there is to know about the wilderness of the arena. Let's face it, in a few weeks, twenty of you will be dead. Only two will come out this year." A Peacekeeper comes up from behind her with two bowls. "Let's begin. Ladies first." Great, I am at the Reapings all over again. She reaches into the bowl and pulls out a slip. "District Nine Jae with..." She reaches into another bowl. "District Ten Stiles."

Jae, a small girl with corn colored hair walks up beside Stiles. The woman points to the floor and they both stand beside her. "District Eight Parker with...District Two Lucifer." They do the same as Jae and Stiles. "District Ten Jada with...District One Quaid."

My heart leaped. That was the boy who talked to me at the chariot rides and he didn't make fun of me. Maybe I might just make it home. I step forward and the tall boy stands beside me. I am about a foot shorter than him. I have to crane my neck to look up to him.

The rest of the pairings were: **District 1** Flitter with **District 4** Louis. **District 2** Camilla with **District 5** Devin. **District 3** Rahi with **District 8** Milo. **District 4** Hollis with **District** 3 Malloy. **District** 5 Skylar with **District 11** Neal. **District 6** Lily with **District 7** Kade. **District 7** Faith with **District 9** Omar. And **District 11** Carly with **District 6** Collin.

When we were all paired up, we spread out and went to different stations. I suggested archery, and Quaid agreed.

"So, you're the girl that was dressed as a cow?" He asks as the arrow is at my cheek.

"Yes I am. You're the boy who was dressed in gems?" I ask as the arrow flies and hits the dummy's stomach.

"Nice job, Cowgirl." He takes the bow from my hands gently. "Let me show you how it's done." He put an arrow on the bow, pulls it back, exhales, and releases. It cuts through the air and hits the dummy in the heart. He takes a bow for me.

I giggle as I take the bow back. I look around and I see that everyone is working separately. The pairs are at the same stations, but they acted like the other person wasn't there.

My focus turns back to the dummy. I put an arrow on the string and pulled it back. Quaid's voice spoke into my ear. "Breathe in, breathe out. Be relaxed and you will hit the target every time." I took in a breath and exhaled. When I let go of the arrow, it sliced the air towards its target. It hit the dummy's heart, right beside Quaid's arrow. "See what I mean?" He raised his hand and I hit his palm. I haven't high fived with anyone but Jace.

We moved from station to station. We agreed to save spear throwing and knife throwing until tomorrow. We threw axes, learned how to make a fire, learned which plants to eat and not to eat, and we practiced hand-to-hand combat. I glanced around from time to time and that pattern was still there.

Quaid and I were the only ones communicating and working together.


	8. Strength and Safety

The training went so fast. After our archery station, we went to the axe throwing. I hit everything but the bulls-eye. Quaid...hit the bulls-eye every time. When we went to hand-to-hand combat, I learned some ways to put your opponent in a headlock. And snap their necks. We learned how to make fires, which berries were safe to eat, and where to stab someone to ensure death.

And, we were the only ones talking and looking at each other.

During lunch, Quaid introduced me to Flitter, Camilla, and Lucifer. Flitter and Camilla seemed more than enthused to meet me. They asked me about my strengths, my favorite weapons, and they even asked about District 10.

"So, how do you know how to throw knives?" Flitter asked.

"My dad bought me kitchen knives and I used an old shed to practice in." I explain.

"You don't have a Training Academy?" asks Camilla. I thought she knew only Districts 1, 2, and 4 had a Training Academy.

"Not in District Ten." I reply. I want to be nice to her so I won't die in the arena.

"She's really good at archery. She hit the bulls-eye almost every time." Quaid says. Flitter and Camilla's eyes light up.

"Almost gets you nowhere in the arena, Cowgirl." Lucifer snarls, eating his food. Everyone turns their heads to him.

"Almost gets you past the bloodbath, smartass." Camilla slaps her district partner. "If she's as good as Quaid says she is, we'll live longer."

At the end of lunch, Quaid told me that I was in the alliance. The Career alliance. Ever since I watched the Games, I detested the Careers. They win the majority of the Games, get the best weapons, and are always arrogant. But, being in the alliance will ensure that I live longer than if I just went by myself.

The second day of training came around. Like Quaid and I planned before, we showed off our expertise in knife throwing and spears. Quaid watched me as I threw my knives. I wasn't used to holding curved knives and anything sharper than a dull butter knife. But, I picked up fast. Every time a human silhouette lit up, the knife flew from my hands and hit the heart. Twenty in a row. I didn't look at the other tributes reactions or anything. I just focused on the targets.

As we were moving towards the spears, Quaid pulled me aside. "You should have seen Lucifer's face. I think he made a mistake calling you out yesterday." His emerald eyes flickered. I could barely contain my feelings. I hugged him quickly and I started to laugh. I proved Lucifer wrong. I proved him WRONG!

"Now he knows I'm worth it in an alliance." I smirk and Quaid laughs.

I watch as he picks up a spear. He throws it over his shoulder and it pierces the silhouette right in the head. Quick and painless death. He threw another spear into the heart. He wasn't lying; he is an expert and throwing spears. His form, the speed of the arrows, and the consistency of the hits prove how long he has worked with these weapons. I sneak a glance to the other tributes and they don't seem all that impressed. He is from District 1 after all.

On the third day of training, it was time to perform for the Gamemakers. There was a rule change, now that we are paired with someone not from our district. Since the boys surpass the girls, we will go in order by our boy partner. So, I will go after Quaid. Being paired with a boy from District 1 was a blessing. When I perform, the judges won't be bored by too many tributes before me.

Quaid already went in and showed his spear throwing abilities. When he left, he came to me. "Shoot your arrows and throw your knives. You'll do fine." Despite that twenty other people are in the room, Quaid pulled me into his arms. He felt warm and comforting. He smelt like roses.

"Thank you, Gem Boy." I say, giving him a nickname.

"You're welcome, Cowgirl." He says as he heads towards the elevator.

"Jada Caldwell." Someone calls my name. I turn and everyone watches me enter the gymnasium.

As I walk in, I smell bleach in the air. Did they just clean the floors? I stand in the middle of the gymnasium and state my name and district. "Anytime you're ready, Miss Caldwell." I nod and I move towards the archery station. I grab the bow and load up an arrow. Once the arrow reaches my cheek, I remember Quaid's words, _Breathe in, breathe out. Be relaxed and you will hit the target every time_. I took in a breath, let it out and shot the arrow. It hit the target, spot on.

I shoot two more arrows and they land right next to each other. I place the bow back and move towards the knives. I waited until the profile lit up and threw the knife. Right through the heart. Another one lit up and I threw it at the head. Another one lit up and I threw it at the heart. I hit each target. I moved to the center of the gymnasium.

"Thank you Miss Caldwell. You are dismissed." A Gamemaker said to me.

"You're welcome and thank you for your consideration." I politely say as I make my way towards the door. I am stopped by a Gamemaker's voice calling my name.

"Miss Caldwell, if you make it home, tell your father that we love the meat produced by your farm. If not, we'll send a note to him." The voice oozed with desire. Was the desire for the meat or... I turn and look at the man who said that. He was a tall, thin man with stubble near his mouth. He waved me out as soon as I looked at him.

I walked towards the elevator, not looking at a single person in the lobby. When I reached the elevator, I heard a voice called Lucifer's name. I clicked the _up _button, got into the elevator and clicked _10 _on the control panel. When I reached my floor, I passed Annabelle and Dane and went to my en-suite bathroom. I turned on my shower and dazed off into space.

"_You didn't need to sign up. I could have given you food." I say as we leave the Justice Building._

"_My mother needs it. We are down to our last goat and we can get all the help we can get." Hadley says, walking down the stairs, leaning on my arm._

"_We could have given you food." I say._

"_I can never eat someone else's food." Hadley replies, humble as always. _

_This day was something I wish I could forget. Hadley, a newly turned twelve-year-old, just signed up for tesserae after my pleading not to. She has just been diagnosed with her muscle disease. With her new sickness and more chances for the Games, it made me sick to think that she'll leave my life sooner than I imagined._

_As we walked on the main streets of the city, we noticed Peacekeepers lined the dirt roads. There were twice as many as there were yesterday. According to gossips at the Blue Bar, the extra Peacekeepers were brought in to see if anyone was stealing meat from the butchers. Our main Peacekeeper, Irving, was twenty feet in front of us. He walked closer to me. He had two Peacekeepers behind him. I couldn't see his face; his helmet covered his eyes._

_He was in front of me in seconds. I never like Irving. He had a thing for my mother a few years after I was born. But, he knew my mother was married. So, he turned his attention to me._

"_Jada, I'm surprised. You shouldn't need tesserae. You have more money than the mayor." He says, staring at me._

"_Actually, I signed up." Hadley says, but Irving didn't hear her._

"_I don't want a Caldwell child to die in the Games. You know, no Caldwell ever was chosen for the Games. And with your new tesserae, you will no doubt..." Hadley interrupted him, raising her voice to a point I never heard it go._

"_I SIGNED UP, NOT HER!" Many Peacekeepers looked at her, making sure she wasn't assaulting anyone._

"_Oh, Hasten children, however, have a history to be chosen. Sorry, Hadley. The odds aren't exactly in your favor." He continued to walk, absolutely sure he was staring at my back. I glanced at Hadley. Her eyes, rimmed with tears, turned red. No one has ever called out someone's odds for a Reaping. Irving pushed the limits of Hadley's emotions. She couldn't run by herself, so I walked her to her town house. _

'Irving_,' I thought to myself that night, '_The odds will be her favor. I will not let her die._'_

I turned off the shower and slumped into my plush bed. My head hit the pin I put there yesterday. I pulled it out from my pillow case and stared at it. The arrow in its mouth, the golden color remained even after 100 years of neglect. I looked at the bird, not exactly sure why this was left in a District 10 room. But, I didn't question it. Someone told me that a mockingjay symbolized strength and safety.

Will this bird help me be strong and safe?


	9. Scores

I slip on a silky nightgown and head to the living room. The T.V was already tuned in to the Capitol channel, saying that only two more tributes had to perform. Neal from District 11 and Skylar from District 5 were up. I'm sure the Gamemakers are getting extremely bored. Lucky for them that District 12 is no longer in existence.

I watch the programs before the training scores air. The programs the Capitol citizens watch for fun are absolutely pointless. Everything is so...predictable. Nothing seems realistic, just like the citizens. Who in the right mind would have a conversation about what color skin you should get? I have to suffer through these programs before Dusk Shine arrives on the T.V along with head Gamemaker, Chal Sherwood.

Dusk Shine is a preppy woman who, by my guess, is about thirty. She started hosting the Games when I was four, making her nineteen. When I learned about past Hunger Games in school, people still compare her to Caesar Flickerman, who stopped hosting the Hunger Games many years ago. She is kind hearted, all about her appearance, and helps everyone out just like the former host. But, she is always consistent in her outfits theme, which is stars. Her outfit changes year to year, but stars always there.

Chal Sherwood opens his thin lips and says, "Thank you for tuning in, Panem. Tonight is when we learn the odds of every tribute in this year's Hunger Games." His voice is raspy and dry.

"That's right, Chal." Dusk says, her voice squeaky and peppy as ever. "I don't know about you, but I think we have strong contenders this year." The camera picks up her light purple eyes flicker.

"Yes, that we do. I took notice of every tribute which stood out, starting with District One's Quaid Ethers." A snap shot of Quaid appeared behind him and Dusk. "He didn't volunteer and here he is. District One is known for volunteers, am I right?"

"Yes. Almost every year, the tributes from District One are volunteers. Quaid is our exception this year." Oh...get on with it. They always drag these out. I never cared when I was home, but now I just want to know my score.

"Alright. The scores are in and let's get this show on the road." Thank you, Dusk! I straighten up. The rules remain the same for the scores. It goes in order by your district, boy surpassing the girl.

"District One Quaid. Nine." Dusk says. No surprise there. Dusk continues. "District One Flitter. Ten. District Two Lucifer. Ten. District Two Camilla. Nine. District Three Malloy. Seven. District Three Rahi. Six. District Four Louis. Eight. District Four Hollis. Eight. District Five Devin. Seven. District Five Skylar. Six. District Six Collin. Five. District Six Lily. Six. District Seven Kade. Eight. District Seven Faith. Four. District Eight Milo. Six. District Eight Parker. Seven. District Nine Omar. Five. District Nine Jae. Six." Our district is coming up. My heart is pounding in my chest.

"District Ten Stiles. Five." I look at Stiles. His eyes turn a dull shade and he looks straight ahead. "District Ten Jada. Ten."

Ten! I received an honor reserved for District 1 or 2 children. Kiani squeals and hugs me. A smile flickers across Dane's face before it's gone. Annabelle stands up and comforts Stiles. Dusk's voice seeps through the commotion. "District Eleven Neal. Six. District Eleven Carly. Eight. Thank you all for joining tonight program. Tune in tomorrow night for interviews before the Games begin. Thank you tributes and may the odds be ever in your favor." The seal appears and Dane turns off the T.V.

"No one in District Ten received a ten before! This is an honor, Jada!" Kiani keeps squealing in my ears. My eardrums are ringing before Annabelle reaches me.

"Congratulations, Jada." She says in her timid voice. She bends down and hugs me.

"Thank you." I say. I sit back on the couch and look at my district partner. Stiles is still pretty torn up. But, he scored better than District Seven's Faith. She got one point less than Stiles, but he still did better than her. I scoot closer to the boy and place my hand on his shoulder. The bone on his shoulder was sticking out and poking my palm.

"Hey, you did great." I say. "You did better than Faith. She received a score lower than you."

"No, I failed." He replies. "I got a five. You received a ten. You will win the Games along with the boy you're paired with. I'm a failure!" Oh, my.

"There was that one year a tribute received a two." Annabelle interjected. "You're not a complete failure." Annabelle's blue eyes bore into Stiles'. "Listen. You ignore what Dane tells you. You have a chance just like the other twenty one tributes, despite your training score. What you have to do is steer clear of the bloodbath. Hide stay hidden until you need food. Stiles, you might surprise everyone and take home the title of victor and live in the Victor's Village with me and Dane."

Stiles' hazel eyes lit up. He threw his arms over my mentor and buried his face into her blond curls. He muttered something to Annabelle, but her hair contained the sound. Kiani kneeled beside Annabelle and started to talk to Stiles. I didn't hear what she said. I started back to my room, not wanting to talk to anyone. The Games are in two days. And Stiles chooses _now _to freak out?

I throw myself on the bed. I look at the window with the picture of the trail. _Oh, Loco. I want to come home. _I think to myself. I grab the mockingjay pin under my pillowcase. I study the golden bird. I only saw mockingjays when I rode the trail with Loco. I'd always sing a simple five note tune and they'd always sing back. One would pick it up, another with follow its lead, and soon the forest would be consumed with the medley.

I open my mouth and sing the five note melody. I wait and I know nothing will answer me. I sang it again. No answer. I've never missed home this much. Just a few more weeks. If I come out alive, I'll be home, riding Loco and singing to the mockingjays soon.


	10. Interviews

**A/N: Thank you for your continued support. I am pushing these chapters out faster because I have so many ideas and I need to get them on...er...Word Documents. Thank you for reading and reviewing the story. The interviews are based off the book, where all the tributes are on stage during every interview. We are almost to the Games! I'm very excited! **

I am waiting backstage for the interviews. Eleora is putting the finishing touches on my outfit. It is a knee length strapless dress in a green hue, green high heels, and a rose pinned near my breast. Make-up was nonexistent on my face, giving me a natural look. My hair was curled with grass woven in. Is Eleora purposely making me homesick?

She patted blush on my cheeks as a tribute walks up beside us. Eleora finishes and walks off. Her deep purple hair bounces off as she makes her way into the audience. I look at the tribute beside me and I see Quaid. He looks natural. His golden hair has some sort of grease in it, but it makes it look smooth as silk. He is wearing a turquoise blue tuxedo with black dress shoes. In the pocket of his jacket, I saw a diamond encrusted hanky. Oh, District 1 and your luxury items.

"You look...fantastic." Quaid's voice melted my heart. No one has told me I look fantastic before.

"Thank you. You look rather dashing." I reply and see a smile cross his face.

"Congratulations on the ten." He pats my shoulder. "Lucifer really must be feeling like an ass." I smile at his remark.

"Thank you and good job on the nine. You'll win, I promise." I say.

"Remember, I win means that you win." His voice can melt everything. Butter, plastic, and my heart.

"How could I forget?" I ask. I hear more tributes walking in as Quaid's eyes look down at me. His hands are on my shoulders.

"You look absolutely beautiful. You'll definitely win over the crowd and sponsors." He...he complimented me? District 1 is known to shove out arrogant tributes. Why is he not arrogant?

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You are handsome and you are strong. You will get sponsors, not just me." Not only is he humble, he is very good at making others feel good. Not once did he laugh at someone, talk about people behind their backs (other than Lucifer), and he is just so...nice. I can't find another word to describe it.

His arms pull me in. He still smelt like roses. I didn't care if anyone looked at us. We are friends who will make it out of the Hunger Games alive. Someone calls out district numbers, starting with 1 and ending with 11. I am in the back, with three people behind me. Flitter begins the line. The stage is dimmed as we all took our places. Everyone took a seat in the shadowed part of the stage. Dusk Shine arrives, stars shooting in all different directions and her being lowered down from the ceiling. The audience starts to cheer for the host and she takes her seat.

"Hello, Panem and thank you for joining us. Tonight is when we learn about the tributes fighting in the arena tomorrow morning. You know all their training scores, how they looked during opening ceremonies, but what are the tributes actually like? Well, I have the answer. Tonight, we begin with District One's Flitter!" She introduces the first tribute and the tall, thin tribute makes her way to Dusk.

Dusk stands up, adjusting her star covered dress and hugs Flitter. Flitter smiles and sit down beside the host. Flitter's dress is a golden ball gown, showing her perfect figure. Her hair was straightened and it glistened in the lights. Her approach to the audience is sexy all the way. It normally is for District 1 females.

Flitter's three minute interview begins with Dusk complimenting her dress. Flitter blushes and thanks her stylist for the idea. I sat straight and didn't let boredom take me over. It sure took over Faith from District 7. She is slumped in her chair, not paying attention to anything. Flitter's interview ends with a buzzer and their calling Quaid Ethers. He stands up and shakes hands with Dusk.

He has the audience from the get-go. He makes them laugh, joking about the food and the showers. He always finds a way to compliment Dusk Shine, telling her the colors she chose really represent the dusk hour. "Now, Quaid. When I watched the District One reaping, my heart stopped. You were chosen and no one volunteered for you. How did that feel?"

A moment of pure anguish crosses his face. "Well, it felt terrible. Honestly. When I watched the Reapings, and I saw some volunteer, I kept thinking, 'Why didn't anyone do it for me?' When I watched my partner, Jada, volunteer for her friend, I just wished one of my friends stepped up for me." I swore I could feel every tribute looking at me with either envy or disbelief. Why did he have to mention me?

"Tell you what. You win this thing, go home, and show them that you could make it in the arena. How about that?" Dusk reassures him. He just gets ready to answer when his buzzer goes off.

Everyone's interviews are simple and fast. Camilla is a killer, along with Lucifer. Rahi from 3 is smart. Devin from 5 is quiet. Collin from 6 is vulnerable. Faith from 7 is weak. Everyone has a strategy worked out put together before hand. I do too, but I'm not sure how to execute it. Omar from 9 just finishes his interview when I snap back to reality.

"You know her from the chariot rides, the simple and innocent girl. You know her from her training score. District Ten's Jada Caldwell!" Music blares as I walk to Dusk Shine's side. She hugs me and asks me to take a seat. "Jada, you made quite an impression at your chariot rides. Tell me, what did you think of the simple approach?"

I sit up straighter as I get ready to answer. "I think it was a wonderful change. The chariot rides are always full of crazy costumes that show off your district. A simple sundress with a Holstein pattern worked just well for me." I brush my bangs out of my face.

"Yes, I do agree. Some costumes are too...out there even for Capitol standards." The audience begins to chuckle with Dusk. "Now, your training score. A ten! That's a first for your district. How did it feel to get such a high score?"

"It feels exhilarating. I expected myself to earn an eight, maybe a nine. I never expected to earn a ten." I reply, looking right at her.

"I believe you are the same girl from Caldwell farm, who produces the best meat. Am I right?" She knows she's right. President Rector even knows who I am. I wonder if he feels bad that I, a well-known farmer, am in the Games.

"Yes, I am. I make the healthiest cows and the richest milk...um...does it taste that way?" I ask her, ducking my head.

"I believe it does. What do you think folks? Does the Caldwell meat taste healthy and does the milk taste rich?" A roar of screams answers her question. At least now I _know _my meat tastes good to everyone in the Capitol

We talk more about the Capitol and how I am enjoying it. I make my answers as simple and short as possible to earn me more questions. I talk to her about the showers and how I am enjoying the living quarters I am now in. I manage to make a few jokes, making the audience laugh uncontrollably. But, I know she's going to ask me about the...

"Now, your Reaping." I knew it was coming. "How do you know the girl you volunteered for?" I try my hardest not to let tears spill over my eye lids.

"Hadley is my best friend." I start. "She wasn't as well off as me and my family. Her name was in the bowl twenty or so times. I knew she couldn't survive the games. She has a sickness that weakens her muscles and it makes it hard for her to move." The audience lets out sounds of sympathy.

"What did you tell her before you left?" She asks.

"I told her I'd try to win and I told her to expect me to come home." I say, holding my composure.

Dusk gives me a look and grabs my hand. "And try you will. I'm sorry, but your time has been spent. Everyone, Jada Caldwell!" She helps me up and we raise our hands. The roar of the crowd shows their liking. They may like Flitter or Quaid more, but at least sponsors are considering me.

When I reached the elevator, Quaid makes a point to make sure we stay there the longest. "You look lovely, Cowgirl. You are definitely getting sponsors." I smile at the niceness dripping in his voice.

"Thank you." I say, looking around. No one is here but us. I click the _up _button and we wait for the elevator. "You are getting sponsors, too. You kept them laughing and gave them a heartfelt story." The elevator dinged and we stepped in.

"Just click ten. I'll ride up with you." No one has offered to go to places with me. Okay, we are only going to the tenth floor, but no one offered before. I clicked the button and we whizzed to my floor.

"Thanks for riding with me, Quaid." I say.

"Nothing to it, Jada." Quaid replies. We stand in silence for a moment. I should be getting to my room, but I am just standing in the elevator looking to deep emeralds. Why can't I move?

Quaid pulls me into a hug. His grip tightens on me. I hug him back, wishing to never let go. He has to bend to reach me, but he finds a way to hug me. His wheat colored hair smells like grass. Did he use the grass option for me? Unlikely, but I didn't mind. We hugged for what seemed like forever. I didn't want to lose him.

He presses his lips to my forehead. "We'll go home. Don't worry about it. We'll make it home."

"Will you leave me alone in the arena?" I ask. I don't want a cracked promise.

"Never."


	11. Forgive Me

The morning of the Games begins with Kiani and Annabelle waking me up. When my eyes adjust, I pick the mockingjay pin from under my pillow. I hide it in my pant pocket as Stiles and I get on the hovercraft. My stomach is bouncing around. I shouldn't be so jittery. I am working with the Careers. I'll live longer than most. While we are sitting in the hovercraft, two women in sterile white go around and inject the trackers into our arms. Some tributes wince, others don't even blink. The injection in my arm made me shudder, but I didn't show any pain.

The windows blacken and I know we are close to the arena. Eleora and I are in the Launch Room, preparing the moment I go up from the tube and to my expected death. Similar to cattle before they are slaughtered. She had her hair in a high ponytail and, for the first time, I noticed her high cheek bones. Clothes arrive before she can say a word. They are the same for every tribute. Simple black shirt, jacket and pants, along with leather boots. Not something I would choose for myself, but I have to wear it.

As I change from my pants, the pin falls out. It hits the floor and makes Eleora stare at it. Wearing a district token is allowed, but the pin isn't from my district. I hid it from the Gamemakers, and they don't even know I have it. Eleora picks it up and pins it on my shirt, behind my jacket. "Make sure the pin stays hidden." She says. "If they know you have a pin, they could classify it as a weapon. Just don't show it to anyone."

I nod as a voice calls out, asking to prepare for launch. Eleora hugs me and sends me in the tube. "Thank you for all your work and making me look amazing." I say before the tube closes. She gestures to her heart, but I'm not sure what it means. I didn't have any time to ponder; I was on my way up to the arena.

The sunlight shown in my face, black dots dancing in my vision. The Cornucopia was in front of me, spilling its goods all over the grass. I looked around me and saw forest. Trees stood tall and proud, moving ever so slightly when the breeze past by. The clock above the Cornucopia counts down. _60, 59, 58, 57, 56, 55…_

I spot Quaid two tributes to my right. He gestures with his eyes to run for the horn of plenty when the gong sounds. I nod in his direction and his eyes advert back to the clock. These sixty seconds are taking a long time to pass. _50, 49, 48, 47, 46…_

I carefully examine the Cornucopia. Weapons of everyone's liking are strewn about. Bags are also lain about. Some are larger than others and some can fit on my wrist. I get poised to run, making sure my foot doesn't slip onto the landmines. I see Lucifer to my left. He is fixated on the weapons, planning his first kill. _35, 34, 33, 32, 31, 30…_

Will I kill anyone in these Games? I know Jace and Jetta are watching. How will they feel if their big sister is a killer? Will they hate me when I go home? I shake that thought away. They couldn't care less if I kill one or ten tributes, as long as I return home safely. My eyes are on the bow and arrows. I wonder what other weapons are in there. _20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15…_

My stomach is churning, my throat is dry, and I begin to sweat. The clock beats with every second gone. The beat pounds on my chest, making my heart beat twice as fast. I wipe my palms on my pants as the final seconds count down._ 5, 4, 3, 2…_

The last second ticks by and the gong sounds. I sprint off my starting plate and run for the Cornucopia. Quaid meets up with me, yelling over the commotion. "Get your knives. I'll grab the spear!" When we meet the weapons, he kept his word. He grabbed the spear while I searched for knives. My fingers found them and I plucked them from their spot. I grabbed a larger butcher knife, just in case.

"Spread out!" Lucifer's deep voice commanded. I did as I was told, finding the weaker tributes. Jae from 9 is reaching for a back pack. _Forgive me. _I think as I throw a knife at her palm. Her scream filled the air and she fell to the ground. The butcher knife was in my hand, ready to spill her blood. She pulled the knife from her palm and backed away from me. I've never seen so much fear in a person's eyes.

The knife plunges into her flesh over and over again. When I was done, I stand up looking for more tributes. A thud sounded from behind me. I didn't have anytime to identify the source. I ran for more tributes. I found Kade from 7, hiding in the Cornucopia. I sprinted back and met the boy face-to-face. He had an axe in his hands. On instinct, I threw the butcher knife at him. It landed in his skull, spilling blood all over his face. _I'm sorry. Please forgive me, Jace and Jetta. You're sister is not a killer by any means. _

I pick a large, black back pack and refill on weapons. The bloodbath had ended and we are searching for weapons. I go back to Jae and grab the knife by her hand. Flitter, Camilla, Devin from 5, Lucifer, and Quaid are doing the same. Bodies littered the grass as we grabbed the remaining items from the horn of plenty. Lucifer leads the pack into the woods. Lucifer didn't have his partner, nor did Flitter. Did they leave them to die?

"I didn't know you could kill like that!" Camilla squeals to me. She moves her brown hair from her eyes. "Now I know how you got that ten!"

"She could have been raised in Two and we didn't know it." Lucifer snarls as we cuts down leaves. An arm went around my shoulder.

"Nice job on getting two tributes, Cowgirl." Quaid says. "You aren't fooling around."

The sun begins to dip below the horizon when the cannons fire. I count each one as we walk. _1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8… _Eight dead on day one. Fourteen left to play. I wonder how many tributes stayed with their paired partners. If Camilla stayed with Devin, some might have stuck together.

We begin to set up camp at nightfall. Devin starts a fire as we all look through our bags. I open mine and gawk at the galore of items before me. An array of knives, a sword with a curved blade, blow darts, packs of dried food, beef jerky, containers of water filled to the top, a lighter, and a sleeping bag. Everyone else faired just as well. Devin, who grabbed a bag at the last second, only received a half gallon container, night vision goggles, and dried fruit.

We all sit next to the fire, except Lucifer who is on guard, when the nightly death toll appears in the sky. The seal appears along with the anthem. The words '_The Fallen_' appear as faces show up. District 3 Rahi is the first in the air. District 4 Louis appears after. District 6's Lily and Collin, District 7 Kade, District 8 Parker, District 9 Jae and to finish off is District 10 Stiles. The anthem finishes with a flourish and we are in the dark.

Oh my. Annabelle must be feeling terrible at this point.

"Great kills today." Devin mutters. I guess District 4 has lost Career rights. Normally, children from 4 live longer than day one. I was surprised to see Louis's face in the sky.

We begin to get ready to sleep when we hear twigs snapping. "What was that?" Lucifer asks, looking at us.

"I'm not sure, Luce." Flitter replies.

_Snap!_ The twig snapping has come back. Before long, the low crackle of another fire starts up. "Hey guys. We got some visitors." Camilla says and grabs a weapon. When it is in the light from our fire, I see that she picked up a new weapon from the Cornucopia.

A chainsaw.

**A/N: Thank you to Eliseu27 for asking an important question. Tributes who lose their partner can win the Games anyway. That is apparent in Lucifer's character because his assigned partner, Parker from 8, is dead. Same with Flitter, for Louis is dead also. The partners don't have to work together, but they can. The tributes from the lower districts will want to work together, like District 7's Faith with District 9's Omar. Thank you for reading and I love the input you guys are giving me. :)**


	12. Killing Magic

"Where did you find that, Cami?" Flitter asks, her eyes glued on the weapon.

"It was deep in the Cornucopia. You had to look for it to find it. Do you want to show this baby to our visitors?" Camilla asks, making her way towards the other campfire. I move closer, just enough to see where she is going. She took Flitter along to, probably, hold the other one down.

I hear Camilla's voice talking to the pair of tributes. It was District 11's Neal and District 5's Skylar. I inched closer, staying at our camp. What was she going to do to them? Flitter held down Skylar to the ground while Camilla started up the chainsaw motor. It roared and Neal was its victim.

The chainsaw found its way to Neal's skin. From what I saw, the chainsaw's blades went into his calves first. Blood splattered everywhere, including Camilla's face. Skylar screamed for her partner. Her high pitched scream scared away the birds hidden in the trees. Flitter put her boot on Skylar's throat to stop any noise from coming out. The blades dug deep into his calves. His screams of agony were heard throughout the arena.

I placed my hands over my ears. The motor and screams were too much. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see any more suffering. At least I killed my kills fast with just a little pain. Camilla is dragging this out. This is just as painful for me to watch as it is for Neal going through his death. Suddenly, warm hands were placed on mine. I turn my eyes and see Quaid put his hands on mine. The noise went down in my ears. I could barely hear his screaming anymore.

I leaned back against Quaid's chest, wanting these moments to be over. Camilla kicks Neal's corpse and turns her attention to Skylar. The chainsaw is still running, blood all over the spikes. I couldn't see Skylar's face, but I know she was terrified. Flitter held Skylar down while Camilla placed the blades in Skylar's flesh.

Skylar's death was quicker than Neal's. When the chainsaw stopped running, two cannons fired. Quaid released my ears and I uncovered them. I wiped my eyes and crawled into the sleeping bag. That's enough death for today.

When I wake up, the fire is nothing but burning embers. The sun was in the sky, but it was early morning. Everyone was getting ready to find more victims. We washed our weapons clean of blood and made Devin stay at the camp. "If anyone comes to steal our stuff, kill them with this." Lucifer hands him the curved sword I found yesterday.

"Let's find a lake or any source of water. They would, more likely, be there." Flitter suggests. We agree and head out.

We walked for hours and still didn't find anyone. We talked it over and Quaid said I should have this kill, if we ever reach someone. We found moss and moist landscape, but we couldn't find any water. We didn't mind; we already have enough water. The sun started to go down when we saw a figure. We hid behind bushes and saw the figure sit down on rocks. As we inched closer, I noticed it was District 7's Faith. What was she doing alone?

"Okay, Jada." Camilla places a knife in my hand. "Work your killing magic." I nod as I stand up. I look straight ahead and got myself ready to make the kill. Faith patted her hair and looked through the forest. I raised the knife above my head, ready to throw. It left my fingers and hit her back.

"HEY!" A male scream smacked the air. I barely had time to react when District 9's Omar tackled me to the ground. "You insensitive bitch!" His fist hit my cheek and I let out a scream.

"Quaid! Camilla! Flitter! Help me!" I scream between punches. What was Omar's training score again? Five? How can he expect to kill someone who has twice his training score? Blood flows from my nose as Omar is tackled off of me. Flitter helps me up as I see Lucifer beating Omar up.

"You think you're tough?" He yells in Omar's face. "Nice job protecting your partner. Look at her. She's dead!"

Lucifer snaps Omar's neck and his cannon fires. "Is District Seven dead?" Flitter asks me. "I didn't hear her cannon fire."

"Neither did I." Camilla says. They all look at me, the girl who threw the knife at Faith.

"I'll go check." I say. I walk over to her corpse and feel her neck. Her pulse is still there, but faintly. I grab the knife from her back and stab her heart. _I'm so sorry. I'm not a killer. _I can't shake those thoughts from my head.

I make it back to the group when her cannon fires. "Good job, District Ten." Lucifer sneers. "I guess you can kill. Clean up your face. We need to get back to camp." I wipe my nose on the back of my hand. Cherry red blood stains my skin. Lucifer, Camilla, and Flitter walk ahead of me. I follow them, my head down. I'm not suited for the Careers. They are going to kill me in my sleep.

"Don't worry, Cowgirl." Quaid says, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "You did great. District Nine had nothing on you."

"Are they going to kill me?" I ask. Quaid stops and looks down at me. I hate being five feet tall.

"Not at all, Jada." He says, wiping blood of off my nose. "You are a strong fighter. You know what we should do?"

"What?" I ask, hoping he hand would stay on my face.

"Get rid of Lucifer."


	13. Tested Loyalty

Back at the camp, we wait for the nightly death toll. We killed four tributes today; a sign of success crosses Lucifer's face. What did Quaid mean? _Get rid of Lucifer. _Are we going to kill him in the night? I pick some dried cranberries and place them in my mouth. I don't want to see the death toll. I can't get the image of Faith out of my mind. Only twelve years old, having more of her life to live, struck dead by me. By me!

The anthem plays and the seal appears. _'The Fallen'_ is in my face. The first picture to appear in the sky is Skylar. Faith follows, along with Omar and Neal. Four more gone. Ten left in the game, fighting for their lives. The anthem finishes and we are in the dark once more. "District Ten, you guard tonight. Quaid, take the shift after her." Lucifer commands as he gets into his sleeping bag. Devin, Flitter, and Camilla follow.

I look around the camp. When I imagined myself in the Games, I thought I'd be dead in the bloodbath. I survived and I am working with the most hated of tributes. I know my parents are probably devastated that I am a killer. I didn't mean to kill three people. I am just working to survive. I'm not a ruthless killer.

I stared into the darkness. No one was there. Everyone is sleeping. Sleeping in trees, caves, and on the ground. The moon was starting to rise and the stars appeared. I remember my first midnight ride with Loco. I snuck out of my room and got on Loco's back. The Peacekeepers were keeping guard, but they paid no attention to me. Irving probably had his word in it. I never paid too much attention to that; I just rode on the trail.

"_Come on, Loco." I whisper to my horse. It was a warm spring night, days after my twelfth birthday. I am on his caramel colored back, holding onto his chocolate mane. No one was watching. The Peacekeepers weren't on abandoned back trails. I loved the back trails. I can be free of the Hunger Games and Panem's rule. I am just by myself._

_I kick his sides slightly and we are on the trail. He walks and I sway back and forth. I just learned how to ride without any saddles or bridles, and I was ready to test it out. I let the moonlight be my light, leading me into the unknown. I kept making Locomotion walk straight. He was leading me to my new adventure._

_I stopped him. In front of my eyes was a spring. I jumped off of his back and took a look at the clear water. I could see the very bottom of the spring where rocks rested. I have never seen something so…beautiful before. It was truly breathtaking. I dipped my fingers in the water and pulled them straight out. It was freezing cold. Loco nudged me forward and I fell face first in the water._

_When I resurfaced, I swore that horse was laughing at me. "Loco!" I whisper in the night. "You silly horse!" I dipped my head back in the water and swam around. I knew what I was getting into, riding off in the night. I could have been hurt or found by Peacekeepers. But, instead, I found a spring. A spring that no one knew existed. It was a refreshing experience._

_Suddenly, a bird sings. I look in the trees above my head and see a bird, singing away. I have never seen this bird before. But, I knew what he was. He was an infamous mockingjay. Mockingjays are not hard to find in District 10 and 11, but they are harder to find in Districts 1 or 2. Some people believe that they died off and are no longer around. But, I know this isn't true._

"_Can I sing for you?" I ask the lovely bird. The bird takes my offering, falling silent. I sing a five note medley, and I pause. I sing it again, and the mockingjay picks it up. He sings the medley back to me. Unexpectedly, the medley bounces off of the mockingjay above me and another one picks it up. I turn to the direction of the sound, water splashing in my mouth._

_Before long, my medley was all over the forest. Birds picked it up and bounced it back. I crawled out of the water and sat on the grass. As the water cascaded off my body, the mockingjays kept singing my medley. I didn't want to leave the forest, but I knew I had to. I can't stay here forever._

I wish I could. The moon has risen slightly when Quaid comes over to me. He sits next to me with a knife in his hand. "I'm ready to kill Luce." He says.

"Why?" I ask. "We'll live longer with him."

"He just needs to go." He says. "I'll slice his throat and place the knife next to Flitter's hand. Wait until the cannon fires and scream. We'll frame Flitter and we'll be off clean. Just say you dozed off until the cannon fired. Okay?" I nod as he moves to Lucifer's sleeping body. His muscles ripple as he takes the knife across Luce's throat. I close my eyes and lay on the ground. I wait.

As soon as Quaid lays on the ground, the cannon fires. I open my eyes and look at Lucifer. I see a bloody knife next to Flitter's fingers. I wait a few more seconds before letting my scream fill the air. Camilla shoots up, along with Devin. He turns away as Camilla kicks Flitter's stomach.

"What the hell?" She screams in Flitter's face. "We were working together! And you backstab us by killing Lucifer?"

Flitter clutches her stomach. Quaid just raises his head. "What happened?"

"Flitter killed Luce." Camilla says calmly. Her brown eyes have a reddish tint to them.

"I didn't kill anyone!" Flitter screams as Camilla tackles her.

"Why is a knife by your hand?" Camilla has Flitter's hair in her hand. She drags her to a nearby tree. She grabs rope and ties it around Flitter's body.

"Damn it, Cami!" She yells as Camilla finishes the final knot. "Let me go! I didn't do anything! I bet it was District Ten! She was watching us! I was sleeping! I couldn't kill Luce!" Everyone's eyes are on me.

"I dozed off. I admit to being wrong on dozing off. Why would I kill a part of our team?" Everyone's eyes dart back to the helpless girl on the tree.

"Let's pack up camp." Quaid suggests. I place a sleeping bag, swords, and food in the giant black bag I got from the Cornucopia. We walk away from a screaming Flitter, leaving her to die.

We walked miles before Camilla stopped us. "Guys, am I the only one who thinks it's time to…"

"Split up?" Quaid finishes. Camilla nods and Quaid seals the deal. "Okay. But, we won't come after each other after three days. Got it?"

"Yes. Come on, Devin." Camilla and her partner turn left as Quaid and I turn right.

I'm glad that's over.


	14. Only For the Weak

"How long will it be before Flitter dies?" I ask as Quaid sets up camp.

"Three days. Less if a wild animal gets to her." He replies while laying down his sleeping bag.

We just set down for camp. We traveled miles and knew we needed the rest. We have three days before our peace truce blows away with the wind. I sat down on my sleeping bag and felt the pin on my shirt. I haven't looked at the pin since the Games began. I didn't have any need to look at the bird anyway.

The sun descended and the moon took its place. The only face in the sky was Lucifer's. I wonder how many tributes are surprised at that. I was there for his death and I still am.

I pulled my knees to my chest and looked at the sky. Will I go home? With Lucifer gone, I have more of a chance to go home safely. I wonder how Philomena is doing without me. Is Loco doing fine? Does he miss our rides? Just the mere thought of him brings tears to my eyes. _I'll come home, Loco. I promise. _I say to him in my mind.

Quaid moves from his sleeping bag to me. He sits in front of me, looking into my eyes. The flicker of the fire allowed me to see his perfect green eyes. How can those eyes be perfect? "Are you alright?" he asks. His voice is smooth as butter.

"Just fine." I reply, not looking him in the eyes.

"If you were fine, you'd look at me." He leans over and puts his index finger on my chin. "Come on, Cowgirl." His finger coaxes my face to look at him. "There you are. Tell me what's up." I sigh and stare at him.

"How could I kill Faith?" I ask. His head turns slightly. "Girl from Seven? How could I kill her? She's only twelve! I didn't want to believe it, but what if I am a killer? What if I just kill people because it's survival? What if…" Quaid places a finger on my lips, silencing me.

"You are not a killer. These Games are designed to chip people away on the inside. Our most recent victor already seems to be losing her mind. And she's twenty one. Don't worry about it." He smiles and it takes all I have not to tackle him into a hug. I lose my internal battle and my head is buried in his chest.

His arms wrap around my body, encircling me from the danger called the arena. He lay on his side and took me with him. My head was still in his chest, not wanting to look up. I drifted into sleep, wanting to forget the danger of the arena.

"_I'm sorry!" I yell to the air. "Listen to me. I have two siblings. My brother is your age. I don't mean to kill anyone. I just want to survive!" I see the little girl, sitting on the rock, with the knife still lodged in her back._

"_Survival is only for the weak." She whispers and her voice echoes in my ears. "I am the oldest in my family. You know what it is like to be the oldest, don't you, Jada?" I can't see her face. I can only see her black silky hair against the pure white gown she is wearing. Blood from the wound isn't dripping. It looks like it didn't puncture the skin._

_I move closer, hoping for her to look at me. She didn't deserve to die the death I put on her. She deserved to win and go home. As I move, I see her turn around. Her once hazel eyes were just black pupils staring at me. Her skin, a flawless shade of peach, is now white as paper. Her features were no longer hers. She was unrecognizable. She stood up and moved to me._

"_Jada, you are just like them. The Careers. You kill anything that crosses your path." She teases me._

"_No! I don't! I can barely kill a butterfly, let alone a person!" I retort._

"_Then why did you kill Jae and Kade? Why did you kill me?" Faith asks, staring me down._

"_I want to survive! Would you kill people in order to go home?"_

"_No. I'd rather die than kill another human being." As she came closer to me, she grew taller. She circled me, tormenting me. "Poor Jada. The only Caldwell that has ever been in the Hunger Games. My family has sent more tributes from Seven than any other family. I'm surprised I even have a family." Was this true? Or was my mind making this up?_

"_Faith! Stop!" I yell. She's in front of me, a foot taller than me. Her hand wraps around my throat. "S…St…Stop!" I stutter as her hand closes off my air._

"_I'll kill you like you killed Lucifer." I didn't have any air to tell her Quaid killed Lucifer, not me. Her grip tightens around my windpipe. "Enjoy your journey to hell, Jada."_

_I am falling down an abyss. There is no escape. My screams bounce off the walls as I descend to my death._

"Jada! Jada!" Quaid's voice tried calming down my screams. I am still falling. The abyss is never ending. I'll hit the ground with so much force; my limbs will pop out of place. I'll never…

Quaid picks up my body and makes me sit in his lap. "Jada! You're dreaming! Wake up!" My eyes open and Faith is gone. Quaid's perfect eyes are looking into mine. He hugs me tighter than I hug Jetta back home. Tears fall from my eyes onto his shirt.

"It was her. It was her!" I say to him.

"Who?" He asks me, rocking back and forth.

"Faith." I answer. I look up at him and he wipes my tears.

"Shh." He hushes me. "Shh. It was only a dream. Faith is gone. Shh."

Quaid strokes my hair. He keeps telling me that it is okay. I know it's not. Why is he messing with me? I don't ask him that, of course. He continues to stroke my hair and hush me back to sleep. I looked at the sky. It looked like it was in the middle of the night. How many people did I wake up with my screams? His voice calms me down from my nightmare.

"Faith isn't here anymore. She's in a better place." He whispers to me. "Go back to sleep." He was still stroking my hair.

I bury my face deeper into his chest as I mutter, "Don't leave me here alone."

His response comes with a quick peck on my head. "I won't, Cowgirl. I won't."


	15. Sponsor Gift

"How many are left?" I ask as I prepare to kill a rabbit.

"Nine." Quaid answers as he starts a fire.

"My goodness. These Games are going by quickly." The knife lodges itself in the rabbit's eye.

"We are on day four and thirteen tributes are dead. How much quicker can they go?" I pick up the rabbit and give it to Quaid. "Nice. We'll eat some lovely rabbit."

It was midday and we were cooking up some meat. We were tired of the dried fruit the Capitol supplied us and we turned our attention to the wild life. I've shot two rabbits and a bird. Quaid was in charge of skinning the animal and cooking its meat. And we were both in charge of guarding our camp.

After my nightmare last night, I trusted Quaid to go somewhere without me. We set up our system when I woke up to Quaid skinning his own rabbit. I didn't hear any cannons today. Flitter didn't give out yet and no one else slaughtered each other. I hoped this day would go by without any bloodshed. It looks like I'll get my wish.

He grabbed the meat and handed me a leg. I wanted to kill a groosling, but the bird ran away from me. I only saw a groosling once in my life. He was hanging around by our farm, picking up some scraps we left out for birds. My father said that grooslings have really juicy meat and they are good eating. But, he failed to tell me that they run faster than my knives.

I bit into the leg and grease ran down my chin. "This thing is delicious. I don't think this is a rabbit, though."

"It's a groosling." Of course. He bags a groosling while my grossling runs away from me.

"How did you kill it?" I ask, taking another bite.

"I stole your knives." I dropped the meat and wiped my chin. His mouth curled into a smirk

"Getting greedy in the arena?" I ask as I tackle him to the ground. I pin his shoulders to the ground and sit on his stomach. He turns to the left abruptly and he is on top of me.

I haven't wrestled with anyone but Jace. Jace learned how to wrestle when he was eleven and he wanted to use me as a test subject. I learned how to pin someone down and escape their grip. I didn't mind that Quaid was on top of me at this point. I didn't even mind that I was in the arena. I was doing something I thought I'd never do; have fun in the Hunger Games arena.

He pinned my wrists to the ground. He gave a cocky smile, and stared into my eyes. "I was getting greedy for food, Cowgirl." His grip lessened on my wrists. He leaned down and placed his lips on mine.

The only thing I could do was return the kiss. For being the farmer's daughter and the richest family in District 10, I never had my first kiss…up until now. I never thought I'd kiss a boy from District 1, let alone in the Hunger Games. Quaid was the only boy from 1 who wasn't arrogant and selfish. How was he raised? Did his parents teach him something that parents normally don't teach?

Our kiss was interrupted with a beeping noise. That was a sponsor beep. I looked up and saw a silver case with a parachute attached, falling in our direction. Quaid let me go and I grabbed it. I have a sponsor already? When I opened the casing, my jaw hit the floor.

Inside were a dozen golden throwing knives, each with a different tinted handle bar. I know this gift was meant for me. Quaid prefers spears rather than knives. I think this is the most expensive gift in the Games since Finnick Odair's trident gift. When the array of knives went out of the case, a note slipped out. When I picked it up, I glanced over it. It read,

_You're doing a great job of staying alive, Jada! Thank everyone in the Capitol and fight until the end! ~ Annabelle._

Oh, Annabelle. Thank you so much!

"Wow, you must have good sponsors." Quaid says, his head hung low.

"Hey, you want to use one?" I ask, holding up the knife with a green tinted handle.

His hand reaches for the weapon, but pulls back. "No. They're yours. I'll wait until my sponsor sends a gift." He puts my knives in my jacket, ordered by the color of the handle bar. Starting with red and ending with violet. He's from District 1. Of course he has an eye for color.

When the night sky appears, no faces are in the sky. Finally, the momentum has died down. I lie on my back and stare at the stars. Even in the countryside back home, I never saw this many stars. Were these even real stars?

"Cowgirl, look." Quaid points to a small bird in the trees. By the looks of its size, it was a child-ages bird. "I've never seen a mockingjay before. I've only seen them in my textbooks back home."

"Wanna hear something amazing?" I ask. His head nods in response. I sit up and face the mockingjay. I sing a simple five note tune and wait. I repeat my sequence and he repeats it to me. He flies off of his branch and flies in front of me. Just like back home, more mockingjays pick up my sequence. The mockingjay perches himself on my knee, singing my tune.

"I think he wants you to sing more." Quaid suggests, moving closer to me. I try not to move my knee as I sing a lullaby I learned years ago.

_Deep in the meadow, under the willow. A bed of grass, a soft green pillow._

_Lay down your head, and close your eyes. And when they open, the sun will rise._

The bird falls silent, along with the forest. I know I am not supposed to sing this certain lullaby, but something makes me want to sing it. This was the Mockingjay's song, as proved by Katniss. Hence the reason I am not allowed to sing it. The Gamemakers can't do anything about it. I am just singing to a bird, nothing more.

_Here it's safe, here it's warm. Here the daises guard you from every harm._

_Here your dreams are sweet, and tomorrow brings them true. Here is the place where I love you._

The bird sits and waits for me to continue. I inch my finger closer to his head. He isn't fazed; he lets me place my finger on his head. I rub it back and forth and he wants me to continue my lullaby.

_Deep in the meadow, hidden far away. A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray._

_Forget your woes, and let your troubles lay. And when again it's morning, they'll wash away._

_Here it's safe, here it's warm. Here the daises guard you from every harm._

_Here your dreams are sweet, and tomorrow brings them true. Here is the place where I love you._

As soon as my song ends, the mockingjay picks it up. He sings every note and his friends pick it up. It bounces around until it spreads to every tree. I continue to pet the bird in front of me. I have never placed a finger on a mockingjay. His feathers were smooth and silky.

"You can really sing." Quaid says, trying not to make the bird move as he moves towards me. "I can tell these birds love your voice. They stopped to listen to you." His finger rests under my chin.

"And if you sing, they'll just fly away?" I ask, joking. His lips kiss mine gently. The last line of the song is true. This is the place where I…love Quaid.

**A/N: Thank you for reading my story. I love all the feedback I have been getting. I, personally, don't like this chapter. But, it gives insight to Quaid and Jada's relationship. The next chapter will be slow also. Just a warning. But thank you for spending your time reading. I can't thank you enough. :) **


	16. Censored Conversation

Another day passes. No faces appeared in the sky. The arena seemed quieter than I remember it. I counted through the living tributes in my head. Flitter, Camilla, Malloy, Hollis, Devin, Milo, and Carly. Seven more to go. Quaid and I only have one more day before Camilla and Devin come after us, ready to spill our blood.

We packed up and moved our camp further in the woods. We leave ourselves more vulnerable to the mutts the Capitol, no doubt, set free. But, we are also more secluded from the other seven tributes. I search my mind for any pairs that are still alive. Flitter was paired with Louis, who died already. Camilla is still with Devin. Malloy and Hollis are still fighting as a pair. Milo's partner, Rahi, died. So did Carly's partner, Collin. Quaid and I still have to break apart Camilla and Devin and Malloy and Hollis.

We found a cave in the mountains and set our stuff there. We set our food behind a large boulder and laid out our sleeping bags. We placed all of our weapons in front of the boulder. I peaked out of the mouth of the cave and glanced at the sky. A few more hours and darkness will settle over the arena.

"Flitter is a fighter." Quaid whispers echo off of the rock.

"I know what you mean." I reply, inching closer to my golden haired partner. "I'm surprised that the Capitol didn't send a mutt or something to kill her. It's been two days since someone died. Aren't they bored yet?"

"If they were bored, they'd call a feast." Quaid brings up a point while munching on beef jerky. "Like you said, it has only been two days. From past Hunger Games I remember, they get really bored after three or four days of no bloodshed."

I grabbed a handful of dried fruit and slipped them, piece by piece, in my mouth. "So, nine left." A loud **BOOM **made me jump. The fruit spilled on the floor as my stomach was filled with a stinging sensation. "Er…eight left."

"Who do you think it was?" he asks.

"I think it was Flitter. Either her or Carly from Eleven." I say, my eyes turning towards the mouth of the cave.

"How do you do that?" I turn back to Quaid with a confused look.

"Do what?" I answer his question with a question.

"Remember every tributes name. I only remember them by their district." I scoot closer to him. "How do you do it?"

"I just have that kind of memory. Also, at home, I am in the 'smart' classes. I remember everything I see and read. Like the Reaping. You were called and no one volunteered. You are seventeen and you are the only child in your family." I recalled everything from the interviews with Dusk before the Games began. "Is that right or wrong?" As the sun disappears, it gets increasingly harder to see his emerald eyes.

"Correct." He answers me. "You are fifteen, have two siblings, and volunteered for your best friend. Your home district is Ten and you own the largest farm in Panem. Speaking of Ten, what is it like there?"

What is it like? Compared to District 1? I sit in silence while I think his question over. While I conjure up District 10, the anthem and seal appear in the sky. Who was the cannon for? Flitter? Carly? Malloy? The face that appears is District 8's Milo. Flitter is still alive? The anthem ends and I turn to Quaid, ready to tell him about home.

"Well, everything is more spacious. I own a cattle farm with twelve cows and bulls. District Ten has to be spacious because of the livestock we raise. Hadley's family only owns a goat, by which they earn money by its milk. Some families don't even own an animal. Those people have jobs on people farms. They breed the cattle, milk them if we can't, and take care of our livestock." I start off. I lay on my stomach and Quaid follows my lead.

"My favorite part about Ten is the Town. Yes, there are smaller towns all around District Ten. But the Town is where the Reapings are held and where we gather every year for the Victory Tour. The Town mainly consists of an inn, a bar, a few houses, dirt roads, and a few stores. Not many people enjoy the Town, because more and more Peacekeepers keep coming in. Oh, the Peacekeepers. I like them, but one of them is a complete jerk. His name is Irving and he lures poor women into his bed in exchange for money and food. If I wasn't a Caldwell, I would be one of those girls." Quaid seems very interested about my home. His eyes were glued on me the whole time.

"What's your farm like?" He asks, poking the fire lighting up our makeshift home.

"I love my farm." I start. "It is very large and can hold up to twenty cattle, ten horses, and forty chickens. The chickens have their own shed but, on sunny days, we let them out in the chicken pen. We have twelve cattle at the moment. My favorite is Philomena. I was nine when she was born. She is our best dairy cow. Every time I milk her, I pet her and talk to her like she is an actual human." My voice trails off. I never thought I'd miss my farm this much.

We sit in silence. I lower my head and choke back my tears. Quaid's hand rubs the back of my neck and calms me down. I lift my head up, swipe away any tears that spilled over, and look at my partner. "What about you? What's District One like?" I know the Capitol is blocking out our conversation. Since the Second Rebellion, they made sure that the districts had no contact with one another.

"What is there to say?" He shrugs. "It is like the Capitol, but toned down. We create jewels and all that glitters. My father is a jeweler. I've known Flitter and past District One tributes since I was young. The Training Academy is my favorite part of my district. It is just like the gymnasium in the Capitol. When I was five, I picked up my first spear. I threw it and it hit the target…in the hand. After I learned how to hold the weapon, I hit it in the heart every single time. Even so, I got the lowest marks and I was told not to volunteer."

"Marks?" I asked, cocking my head. "What does that mean?"

"When the Reapings arrive, the Training Academy tests you three days before the Reaping. The two people with the highest mark of each gender will be given the honor to volunteer. The people this year were Flitter, who received an almost perfect score of 397 points, and Sapphire, who scored a 396. My score was laughable at a 179. I scored the average score of a fourteen year old. I guess that they wanted to see me die and bring disgrace on my district." If I wasn't mistaken, I saw tears brim his eyes.

"My mother didn't stop and say anything to me after the Reaping. The only one who stopped by was my father. His words were, 'Son, try not to die. You are an Ethers child. You are strong. I hope you are paired with a girl from Two or Four. Or any girl who is stronger than you. Don't you disgrace your district.' None of my friends even stopped by to say their goodbyes. If I go home, I have nothing to go home to other than overjoyed parents and a new home in Victor's Village."

He has it worse than me. Even though he is from a wealthier district than me, he still has a life of the poor. His parents didn't believe that he would return, his friends turned their backs on him, and he has nothing to look forward to other than death. Before I came to the Capitol, I thought District 1 children were obnoxiously arrogant and snobbish. But, Quaid Ethers turned me around. He gave me insight on his life and why it wasn't picture perfect like Flitter's life.

"You're not going to bring disgrace on District One or your family. You wanna know why?" I sit up and stare him down.

"Why?"

"We are going to win the seventh Quarter Quell together and go home. And, when you make it home, people will think to themselves, 'Quaid? Quaid, who scored a 179 at the Academy, won the Games?'" I move over to him and curl up next to him. "You will bring pride to One."

He pulls me closer to his body. "Thank you, Cowgirl. We will take down the other six tributes and we will go home." His lips press against my forehead and I close my eyes. His arms encase me as I allow my body to fall asleep.

**A/N: Thank you for reading this chapter. Everything mentioned about their home districts is completely made up. Suzanne Collins didn't describe much of District 10, so I made a lot of it up. The only information was that Dalton escaped from District 10 with knowledge on cow embryos. Sort of the same deal with District 1. The information I got was on the victors and what they produce for the Capitol. The Training Academy was mentioned in the books, but the running was not. Thank you for reading. Please review :)**


	17. Fresh Water Swim

When the sun rises, Quaid and I exit the cave. We know today is the day our peace treaty ends with Camilla and Devin. Staying in the same place for too long will obviously end in bloodshed. We decide to scout out the arena and find more food. Our meat and dried fruit supply is running low, and we need more food if we are going to survive. I grabbed half of the sponsored knives and a bag with fruit. Quaid picked his spears and a bag of cold meat.

As we walked, I tied my hair up out of my eyes. Daddy always told me that you could see your target better without hair in your face. Twigs snapped under our boots and leaves crunched under the pressure. We kept walking, unsure of where we were going. A conversation didn't take place; it might scare away any animals we came across.

A brown rabbit crossed our path. I stopped Quaid and threw my knife at the creature. Right in the eye. I ran over, grabbed my reward, and took my knife out of his skull. These knives are amazingly useful. Despite their golden color and flashy handle bars, they can slice through anything it passes through. That is something I never would have received at home. I placed the carcass in my back pack. I'll cook him up when we get back in the cave.

Today wasn't as exciting as most days in the Games. Back home, when I watch the Hunger Games, I was actually amazed on how the tributes did. We watched Katniss and Peeta's Games multiple times. The Capitol has sent out discs of past Hunger Games to each district, making them be sold in stores. Obviously, Districts 1, 2, and 4 were always replacing their copies. At my house, we have every Hunger Games ever to take place. I remember the first victor, Torren Lancer from District 6. He won by walking around at night and slicing everyone's throats or stabbing them in the chest while they slept. His tactic wasn't as good as Annabelle's, though.

"**Welcome back to the coverage of the Seventh Quarter Quell, Panem. I am your host, Dusk Shine."**

"**And Chal Sherwood."**

"**Day seven in the arena and eight tributes left to fend for themselves. I have to say, Chal, these Games are going by quite quickly."**

"**And right you are, dear Dusk. These tributes seem more than eager to kill as many of their competitors as they can so they can leave the arena. It's only been a week and over half of the tributes are dead."**

"**Let's run through who are left. Flitter from District One. She's been tied a tree for two days..."**

As spot a lone chicken, I notice Quaid's muscles ripple as his spear lodges itself into the chicken's body. "Not bad, Quaid. I would have hit him in the eye, but we'll still fry him anyway."

"Thanks, Jada." He says as he retrieves his spear and his meat.

"**Another tribute from District One. Quaid. He's still working with his assigned partner, Jada. I'm surprised at this, Dusk. Most of the tributes left their partners for dead."**

"**But, you have to take into account that Camilla from District Two also stuck with her partner. What are Quaid and Jada doing?"**

"**They appear to be hunting. And in the right direction, I might add. No one has found the main water source yet..."**

We are still walking when my foot steps in moist moss. "Quaid!" I yell in a hushed voice. "Feel this with your foot." He does what I tell him and places his foot in the moss.

"It's moist." He observes. "We must be getting closer to a water source."

We use our feet to track where the water is coming from. The landscape dips just slightly as the volume of water increases. Water is reaching my ankles before I realize what we have found. A lake and a source for water.

"Jada! We found it!" he yells as he picks me off of the ground.

"**Now, Camilla and Devin is an unlikely pair to be working together. What are they doing, Chal?"**

"**They appear to be walking about, talking and looking for victims. They are heading in the complete opposite direction that Quaid and Jada. Tell me if I am wrong, but did those two alliances have a treaty of some sort to not kill each other?"**

"**Yes, but that was three days ago. If they want to kill each other, one of the alliances need to turn around."**

We are soaked to the bone. Quaid and I decided to have fun while we are in the arena. We kept our shouts and yelps to a minimum level to make sure we weren't heard. The lake is the deepest in the middle and I can't swim that far. Quaid kept pulling me towards the area where I might drown.

"I won't let you drown. I promise." He says, holding out his hand.

"You better not." I reply while taking his hand. He holds me above the water, making sure I don't go down. He is about a foot taller than me and, when he is holding me above the water, I am about his same height. I couldn't believe I was swimming in a death arena. I was having fun here.

"**What are Malloy and Hollis up to, Dusk Shine?"**

"**They appear to be walking towards the far west of the arena. Malloy and Hollis seem to be a good pair besides Quaid and Jada."**

"**I agree. They seem to work well together, like Quaid and Jada. They haven't split since the Games began, and they seem to have a hearty supply of food."**

"**However, tributes with a great supply will have to guard that with their lives. Wait, what are they doing?"**

"Quaid." I say when we are sitting with our bare feet dipping in the clear water. "I had fun today." I look into his deep emerald eyes.

"I did too, Jada." He says, scooting closer to me. "You know, my friends and I always joked that the arena would only hold death. I never knew it could have held fun like I had with you."

My cheeks flushed as he placed his hand on mine. His hands were soft like a baby. I couldn't help but notice the water reflecting in his eyes. They look like green water pools. I scooted closer to him and rested my head on his shoulder. _This is the place, where I love you._

"**Now, District Eleven's Carly lasted longer than we thought. She is working by herself, but she has enough food and resources to scrape by."**

"**For being thirteen, she is definitely being so careful with the items she got from the Cornucopia."**

"**Now, Dusk. Which pair do you think will win?" **

"**Chal. You know that I can't do that. But, despite that, I believe Quaid and Jada will come out victorious. They are in a rhythm and it's to a point where they might win the Games as a pair and a romantic couple."**

"**I agree with you there, but I believe that Camilla and Devin will take the title as victors."**

"**Why?"**

"**Well, Camilla is native to District Two. Two has the most victors in history. More than half of the victors are native to District Two. She seems very competent with swords and any weapon given to her. Devin, only receiving a seven in training, depends on Camilla. They just might win this thing."**

As I looked into Quaid's eyes, he leaned closer to me. His lips touched mine and locked into a kiss. The only place where I could love this boy was in a death match. Quaid's kisses were light as a butterfly's wings. I let go of him against my wishes and let my head fall on his chest.

We gathered as much water as we could and found our way back to our cave. Water was sloshing in our boots and jacket pockets as we traced our steps.

"I can't believe we found the water source!" I say, setting our stuff down on the floor of the cave. "We'll be set until the Games end!"

"I agree with you there." The sun was now gone and no cannons fired. We roasted our meat and fed on it. The grease from the meat coated our fingers and chins as we dug in.

When the anthem started, I dropped my meat. Quaid giggled as he picked it up. No faces appeared. I'm glad that the number as deaths has gone down. I couldn't stand seeing that many faces in the sky in one day. I wonder what the tributes were thinking during the Second Quarter Quell.

The anthem finished and we faced each other. "I wish I didn't have to kill anymore tributes." I say.

"I know what you mean." Quaid replies. "But, your sponsors gave you golden knives for a reason. And that reason isn't killing chickens and rabbits."

"If you were given a sponsor gift, would you..." _Beep! Beep! Beep!_ A silver casing floated from the sky and fell onto Quaid's lap. Each year the sponsor gifts get better and better at the aim and where they fall. One year, a sponsor gift hit the tribute's head. That gave me and Jace a laugh.

Quaid opened that casing and found a perfectly cooked turkey and a few spare spear heads in a separate bag. The spear heads were sharp with extra spikes on them. The turkey landed in my lap, with grease dripping from it.

"You got a sponsor!" I exclaim.

"These spear heads look deadly." Quaid says, fear flicker in his eyes. "How much pain will these inflict on my victims?"

"I'm not sure." I reply, holding the grease covered turkey towards his face. "Wanna chow down on your sponsor turkey?"

"You know the way to my heart." He kisses my cheek and takes the turkey.

"**Dusk, did you see that? Quaid received his first sponsor gift. That turkey looks delicious and those spears do look deadly."**

"**Yes. I do believe they are. And Quaid and Jada are in a romantic relationship. He's sharing his gift with her. What are they going to do when they must go their separate ways during the Victory Tour?"**

"**Are you implying that they will win?"**

"**I'm just saying. Both the tributes can win if they are still a pair. What are they going to do?"**

"**I'm not sure, Dusk Shine. Thank you for tuning in, Panem. Day seven down and no deaths today. What will day eight hold? Who knows? Tune in tomorrow and you'll see. I'm Chal Sherwood."**

"**And I'm Dusk Shine."**

"**And thank you for watching the Seventh Quarter Quell. Good night!"**


	18. Every Victor

The first thing I hear is the low crackle of a fire. When my eyes flutter open, I see my partner cooking a rabbit's leg. "Morning sleepyhead." He says, turning the spit.

I rub my eyes free of sleep and stare at him. "How long was I asleep?"

"For a while." He removes the scalding hot spit. "A cannon fired, but I am not sure who it was meant for. Probably Carly or Flitter. Rabbit leg?" He offers me the spit. I touch it gingerly.

"So, only seven left?" I ask, taking a bite out of the meat. It tasted perfectly cooked and no grease dripped from it.

"Yes." He picked up a handful of dry fruit and sat next to me. "Did you have any dreams last night?"

I shook my head. "The only thing I dreamed last night was about Jace and Jetta. We were on the farm, chasing chickens and playing with the cows. I haven't done that since Jace turned twelve." I bit into the meat.

We finished our breakfast and exited the cave. Like yesterday, I grabbed my knives and fruit and Quaid packed his spears. We decided to go the opposite direction than we did yesterday, hoping for whatever we could find. The sun was high in sky, appearing to be about noon. That should give us enough time to find whatever we hope to find.

We walked and walked until I thought I couldn't stand on my own feet. Sticks cracked under our boots and pebbles slipped as we trudged on. How much longer could the arena go on? Before I had time to think of that, I saw a red berry on a bush to my left. I clucked my tongue to Quaid and moved towards the berry. It was a ripening blueberry. The bushes had branches with thorns poking out and blueberries on them.

I craned my neck and saw more bushes deeper in the forest. They were clumped together and held a multitude of berries. I reached onto a branch and plucked a small berry. A little juice squirted out on my finger. I placed the berry in my mouth and a sour taste filled my taste buds. "It's sour." I report to Quaid. "Obviously, that one wasn't ripe enough. Go for the bigger berries."

"Yes, ma'am!" He salutes me and grabs an empty sack. We picked berries until the bushes were clean. I saw him sneak glances at me as we grabbed our life supplying fruit. Our sacks started to fill up faster than I could keep track of. I picked one berry after another, hoping to live longer in these Games.

The sun moved towards the west and we have to get back to the cave before night falls. Quaid and I both knew this and we started to walk back. We traced our steps and kept walking forward.

_Snap! Snap! Snap! _"Did you hear that, Cowgirl?" Quaid asks, stopping me in my tracks.

"The twigs snapping?" I ask. "It's probably an animal." _Snap! Snap!_

"I don't think so." He gets his spear poised to throw and moves forwards. I slowly follow him. The sun quickly set, making the arena darker than it should be. Quaid is in front of me, but I can only see his silhouette. As I walk forwards, I feel a presence behind me. I continue to walk forward until a heavy force pulled me to the ground.

I scream for Quaid as the force is wrestling with me. Was it a mutt or something the Capitol invented to get rid of me? I could vaguely see the face of the force. Her face is a few inches from mine and I see her eyes. Large and a green hue. Her hair was a tangled mess and a sandy shade of blond. Those traits are known to come from District 1.

It's Flitter!

She picked up my shoulders and slammed me into the earth. "Thanks for leaving me to die. You seriously underestimated me." Her hand reached into my pocket where I stored my sponsor knives and took one.

"Quaid! Quaid! Help me!" I screamed.

"Jada!" he yelled in response.

"Great sponsors!" Flitter smirked. "I wonder how these work. Oh yeah. You throw them into the flesh of your victims." Flitter uses her knees to keep my wrists on the ground. Where was Quaid? She clutched the knife and pressed it against my cheek. With a flourish, the knife cuts my skin and my blood meets the air.

I let out a yelp and look for Quaid in the darkness. I hear his voice, but I can't hear what he is saying. Flitter starts to cut my forehead before she falls off of my body. Quaid comes over and picks me up. He wraps his arms around me, allowing my blood to spill on his body. I didn't want to look at Flitter.

"Helping out the enemy? That's low, Ethers!" Flitter says. He must have hit her with his spear, but not in the right place to kill her.

"She's not the enemy, Flitter!" He retorts, letting me go and walking towards her. "I was paired with her thus making her an ally. Wanna talk about low? How about you leaving Louis to die?" Everything was silent. Quaid takes the spear out of Flitter's abdomen and stabs her again.

**BOOM!**

Quaid takes the spear and comes over to me. He embraces me and wipes the blood off my face. In seconds his hands are stained by my blood. "I'm so sorry I didn't help you. I'm not sure what I was doing. Can you forgive me?" He fishes out a cloth and presses it against my wound.

"Yes. I forgive you." I say, moving forward. "Let's go back to the cave."

We get back to the cave just as the nightly death toll appears. Flitter's face appears and Carly finishes up the deaths. _Six left and only two can come out. The only four we have to beat are pairs. _"District Four is in the top six. That hasn't been done for over thirty years." Quaid points out as he applies pressure on my wound.

"Was that the year that Five won?" I ask.

"I believe so." He replies. He takes the cloth of off my face and soaks it in water. "I'm curious about this. Can you name every victor ever named up until the last Hunger Games?"

"Okay. I'll try." I say. I take a deep breath as he places the cloth on my cheek. "Torren Lancer from Six. Minya Marks from Eleven. Alexander Javor from Four. Hector Ayres From Two. Kyra Palmer from One. Nani LaBelle from Two. Clarissa Harman One. Mags Tansil from Four." I name every single victor. As I get on with each year, I can see the shock in Quaid's eyes. Who can remember every victor from every Hunger Games that took place?

I name every victor including Woof, Palma and Marlow from 6, Seeder, Beetee, Brutus, Chaff, Haymitch, Wiress, Blight, Cecelia, Gloss, Cashmere, Enobaria, Finnick, Annie, Johanna, and Katniss and Peeta. I have to skip over the 75th Hunger Games because there was no victor. "Danyel Irvine from Eight. And Pace Caywood from Three, who won last year."

His mouth hit the floor.

"How in the world do you remember all of these victors?" he asked, washing the cloth free of blood. The blood stopped flowing from my cheek wound, but the scar will forever remain.

"I have all the discs from every Hunger Games and I have a very good memory." I reply.

"Are you okay?" he asks, touching the skin near my wound.

"I'm fine. I would like to get medicine, but that is in the sponsor's hands."

"Let's go to sleep. There's nothing else left to do. I'll take the first watch." He kisses the cheek that is free from wounds. "I'll wake you up in a few hours. Sleep tight, Cowgirl."

"Thank you, Gem Boy." I lay my head on a makeshift pillow and close my eyes. I could barely hear him mutter these words, but I heard them come out of his mouth, "I love you, Jada."

**A/N: Thank you for reading and reviewing. I had a problem with Chapter 17, with the fact that it wasn't uploading correctly. But, never mind that. Now, Palma and Marlow are the Morphlings from District 6 who competed in the Third Quarter Quell. I made up a lot of names and I think you should read this story just for that. Lol. Read and review, please. :)**


	19. The Feast

Rain pattered on the cave's roof. Through the mouth, I can see raindrops falling and refreshing the ground after days of heat. I ran my finger over my scar, feeling rough to the touch. Nothing relaxed me more than rainy days. Back home, I used to watch the rain roll down my windows and let the peace overwhelm me. Right now, I just watched the drops fall from the sky. I wonder how the other tribute pairs are spending this rainy weather.

Quaid and I kept watch through the night. At about one in the morning, the rain started to pour. Lightning flashed and thunder clapped when my turn to watch was drawing to a close. At that point I knew no tributes would be trying to find us. Who would trudge through a thunderstorm, only to climb a steep hill to get into our cave? Only the most desperate of tributes would do something like that.

We ate our food sparingly, trying not to run out food. We nibbled on all of our food selections and sipped our water. Quaid always tried cleaning my wound free of infection. It worked, for the most part. I knew I needed medicine to actually be sure that my wound is clean. Not just constant applications of a wet cloth.

Two days passed. No faces appeared in the sky and the rain finally started to settle down. We were running short on food and water, despite it raining for two days. "About damn time the rain stopped." He says, sucking the juice out of a blueberry.

"I know what you mean." I say, sipping from a water canteen. "I'm starting to go stir crazy from being in this cave. Also, I'm getting a little hungry." Quaid nods.

"How's your battle wound?" he asked.

"Fine. It's going to be a scar in a few days and it doesn't hurt anymore." I reply with a hesitant tone in my voice. Hopefully he couldn't hear it. I pick up one of my sponsor knives and through it at the stone. Sparks fly, but it doesn't lodge itself in the stone. I didn't expect it to. I was getting some throwing practice.

"Are you sure? It looks painful." He teased, playfully hitting my arm.

"It's so painful I can barely feel the left side of my face." I reply, playing along. He leans over and kisses the temple on my left side. Soft like a butterfly.

"Can you feel that?"

"Yes." I reply, pulling his lips to mine.

The rain completely stops when audio feedback can be heard. Our kiss breaks apart when I hear Chal Sherwood's voice. "Congratulations to the remaining six tributes. For your efforts to get this far, we invite you to a feast. We would like to see all the tributes there. That is all."

"**Jada, don't go! You don't need to go to the feast."**

"**She can't hear you, Jace."**

"I think we should go." Quaid says, starting to pack up weapons. "What if they have medicine for your scar? Or food for us? Or more weapons? We need to go." I rise to my feet and grab my knives.

"Alright. We'll go. I don't want to be the person who spills anyone's blood." I say, grabbing a bag to place my knives in.

"Why are you bringing those, then?" he asks.

"Smartass." I say and stand next to him. "Ready to eat?"

"More than I'll ever be." He says and we exit our home.

"**Why is she going to the horn thing?"**

"**That's the Cornucopia, Jetta. It probably holds medicine for her scar on her cheek."**

"**Why is she going with that big boy?"**

"**He's her partner."**

"**Boyfriend."**

"**Jace!"**

"**What? They were kissing."**

"**I know. But you shouldn't say that."**

I was crouching behind bushes. Quaid was in the same position as I was. The ground was still wet from the rain earlier today. We were right in front of the Cornucopia, a straight sprint towards the feast. I wonder where the other pairs are located. We are in the best position to get whatever is on the table. All we have to do is wait.

A white table rose from the ground and secured its place at the mouth of the Cornucopia. Three bags were placed on the table, each with the pair numbers on the bag. They looked to be the same size and color. The bag marked _1 & 10 _was at the front, with _2 & 5 _and _3 & 4 _followed. I looked at Quaid and moved my eyes towards the table. His mouth made out one simple word. _Go._

I nodded and sprinted towards the table. I didn't look anywhere but at my bag. I grabbed the sack and sprinted towards Quaid. My heart started to pump out adrenaline as I saw my golden haired partner. _Whizz! _A curved blade sword swung past my face. I turn to see a gladiator of a tribute. Camilla. Her feet weren't even on the ground. She was running so fast. She jumped on me and knocked me to the ground.

"**JADA!"**

We rolled on the ground until I pulled my knife out. I knew she was one hell of a fighter. These knives might come in handy. I picked up Flitter's technique by pinning her wrists down with my knees. My knife was clutched in my hand and the sun glistened off of my weapon.

"You little bitch!" Camilla yelled at me with a deep voice. "Get off of me!"

I didn't respond. I placed the knife on her lips. Her eyes tried to hide the fear, but I could see through them. "It'll all be over soon, Cami."

"DEVIN! DEVIN!" She yells. I turn to my right and see a tan boy with a spear come out of the forest.

"QUAID!" I yell. A flash of gold runs towards the tan boy and his muscles ripple as his spear leaves his fingers. The spear claimed a victim in the stomach, and he fell to the grass. I look to the table and the _3 & 4 _bag was gone. That was a good strategy. Wait until everyone else is fighting to get your bag.

I cut Camilla on the cheek and carved the word _KILLER _on her forearm. "You come after me; I'll put your head on a silver platter and send it to your family. You got it, Killer?" I spat in her face. She nodded, speechless. "Good girl. Get up and go!" She stood up and ran.

"**I knew she wasn't gonna get hurt!"**

I never saw so much false confidence in a person's expression before. I let Camilla grab her bag before we grabbed ours from the ground. "I saw Malloy and Hollis head that way. Let's go!" Quaid pointed to the left of the horn of plenty. I followed him into the forest.

"Run, Holly! Run!" Malloy's voice traveled through the forest. The point of a feast is to show the audience a death. One of the two has to die.

I ran towards the voices and heard another pair of feet, running away from me. After ducking a few branches and cutting down leaves, I saw Hollis twenty feet behind Malloy. I clutched the knife in my hand and let it fly out of my hand. My aim was for her back, but it hit the back of her neck. The brown haired girl fell to the forest ground and drowned in her own blood.

**BOOM!**

Malloy didn't turn around. He kept running for his life.

I walked towards the girl from District 4, lying on the ground. I kneeled down and soaked up the reality. Camilla isn't the killer. I am. I pulled the knife from her neck and clutched it. How can I be a farm girl a few weeks ago and become a killer in such a short time? "I'm sorry, Holly. I'm so sorry!"

I fall to my knees, tears spilling out of regret. Are the people in District 4 cursing at me? Or are they crying with me? "Jada, it's not your fault. The impulse to kill took over. It's okay, darling." He rubbed my back, trying to calm me. We move out of the way for the hovercraft to pick up Hollis.

"**Daddy, Jada killed another girl!"**

"Only two can live this year, Jada. Hollis was just another death." Quaid told me when we got in the cave. I clutched the knife that ended Hollis's life and the bag with our district numbers stitched on it. I placed the knife down and slid it away from me. I opened the bag and it confirmed what I thought was in there.

Beef jerky, water, dried fruit littered the cave floor when I dumped out the bag. A small, silver ball rolled beside me. That was definitely my medicine. Quaid picked it up, opened it, and rubbed it on my cheek. His warms fingers caressed my cheek, making the pain go away.

"Hollis is gone." He says. "You didn't mean to kill her. It was an instinct of survival." The pain disappeared and I could feel the scar going away from my face. "I didn't want to kill people during the bloodbath. But, my survival kicked in. Jada, you'll be fine."

When he finishes rubbing in my medicine, he pulls me onto his lap. His lips met mine, making me forget the dangers of the arena. _This is the place, where I love you._

"I love you, too, Quaid." I say a late reply to what he said two days ago.

"You...do?" he was taken aback.

"Yes. You protect me from everything in the arena. You're my best friend here. Don't leave me alone. Not even for one minute."

He said the best eight words I ever heard from anyone. "You will always be by my side, beautiful." I closed my eyes and fell asleep in his protective arms.

**A/N: I hope you liked it. I want to thank Eliseu27 for sharing my story on her FaceBook page, 'The Hunger Games Rebellions'. I want to thank all of you for reading and reviewing. I love you guys. :) Read and review on, guys!**


	20. Mutts

That night, the only face in the sky was Hollis's. I can't believe Devin survived Quaid's spear. Maybe they received medicine as well. These Games are never fair. As I slept in Quaid's arms, my dreams were filled with disturbing images. Faith with the knife in her back. Hollis, dead on the ground with my knife in her neck. Stiles, dead with seven others during the bloodbath. The dreams wouldn't stop. Will these memories ever go away?

The last picture in my mind is Jace. It happens so fast. Jace is reaped for the Hunger Games. He is dressed in a stupid cowboy outfit. He gets a six in training. His interview with Dusk makes him appear weak. He is slain by a tribute from District 2. His cannon is the first to fire. My mom, dad, Jetta, and I receive him in a wooden carton.

No! That won't happen. The only brother/sister pair who entered the Games were Gloss and Cashmere, and they won the Games back to back. The Caldwell's never get picked for the Games. Neither does Mayor Underbaker's children. Jace and Jetta will never go through the tortures of the Games like I did.

When I wake up, I am still in Quaid's protective arms. He's still asleep and holding onto me. The fire is nothing but embers and the sun is brightly shining. How long have we been asleep? I reach for my cheek, but I can't feel the wound. Has it vanished? The Capitol has some of the best doctors and researchers in medicine. They can make your scars vanish and wound close up.

Maybe that is why Devin is still alive. This medicine is a blessing and a curse.

Quaid stirs as his eyes open. "Morning, Cowgirl." He says, voice groggy.

"Morning, Gem Boy." I reply, sitting up. "How was your sleep?"

"Fine. How about yours?"

"I just kept thinking of the deaths that I caused. I killed four tributes."

"So? I remember one year, a boy from One or Two killed almost all the tributes himself."

"I know. Can you believe Devin is still alive? I thought he was dead."

"That medicine must be really high quality stuff. It could have closed the wound on Devin's stomach."

We eat our makeshift lunch, leftover turkey from Quaid's sponsor, blueberries, and beef jerky. We pack up a few necessities before heading out. We both know we can't stay in this cave forever. With only five (including us) tributes left, we can't simply wish for each tribute to die by themselves.

We walk the earth searching for anything. Quaid already suggested that he kills the next tribute we run into. Good. The images of Jae, Kade, Faith, and Hollis are already too much for me to handle, anyway. As we walked, we ignored every rabbit, chicken, and groosling that crossed our path. We were only looking for tributes.

Although it was only noon or one o'clock, the sun disappeared. The arena turned a shade of gray. My snapped to the right when I heard a male scream. "Malloy." I whisper.

**BOOM!**

"What's going on?" I ask Quaid. His eyes radiated understanding.

"Mutts." He says. "The Capitol released mutts. We have to run!" He pushed me in the direction of the Cornucopia. The situation reminded me of the 74th Hunger Games. Are they recycling their past Hunger Games? But, these mutts weren't wolves or dogs or whatever ate Cato over 100 years ago. These mutts had scales, large pointed teeth, and a thin tongue that hissed at us.

They were lizards.

We see the golden horn and we bolted for it. Behind us, a mutant lizard with gleaming eyes chases after us. A chain was around its neck, clanging around on his scales. His scales were a blond hue and I couldn't see his eyes. When Quaid and I climbed the horn of plenty, eighteen lizards flooded the arena. Each lizard had different colored scales and eyes. The chains on their neck had a number engraved on it. The lizard that chased us had gleaming blue eyes. His chain had the number _2 _engraved on it. _It's Lucifer! _I say in my mind.

Each lizard has a number. I saw Flitter's lizard. It had her blond hair, gleaming green eyes, a chain with a _1 _on it, and she was larger than some lizards. Stiles' lizard was tiny, had his light brown hair, gleaming dark eyes, and a _10 _around his neck. Every lizard had a glimmer of hate in their eyes. I saw a brown lizard with hazel gleaming eyes. _4 _was on her collar. _Hollis! _A little lizard with black scales had a _7 _engraved on her collar. _Faith. _Every tribute was now a lizard, ready to seek revenge on the remaining tributes that killed them.

"Move faster! They'll eat you clean!" Camilla's voice screamed behind us.

"What do you think I am doing?" Devin's voice yelled back. A lone lizard marked with an _11_ chased after her and Devin. Neal's mutt was chasing them. As they climbed the Cornucopia with difficulty, I started to throw knives at the lizards. I hit the one marked _6_. It must have been Collin. He falls to the ground with a thud.

"What do we do?" I scream to Quaid. "I only have so many knives. We can't keep killing them!"

"I don't know! I don't know!" He repeats. I turn my attention to Camilla and Devin. Devin looked like he completely recovered from Quaid's spear and he is fighting off the lizard marked _3_. It was Rahi's mutt. She had brown scales with a tint of black and green glowing eyes. It was definitely Rahi.

Camilla turned to me. The word on her hand was still there. It was faded, but it still read _KILLER_. She doesn't throw anything at me. I let my knife fly, cutting the air, and making its way towards my enemy. She ducks and it hits Devin's chest. The color drains from the boy's face as blood spills out on my weapon. His eyes flutter as he falls to his left, making a thud as he falls.

"Devin!" Camilla yells. A few lizards make their way to a food source.

**BOOM!**

Only three tributes left. One must die. Or, Quaid and I die and Camilla is the lone victor. But, we won't let that happen. I promised Hadley, Jace, Jetta, and my parents that I will return home safely. I am not breaking my promise to them.

"**Daddy, I can't watch!"**

"**Close your eyes, Jetta. I'll tell you what happens."**

"**Okay, Daddy."**

"**Dad, will Jada live?" **

"**Yes. Your sister is a fighter. She took down anyone who stood in her way of coming home. She has the boy from One with her. They will survive and he will bring her home."**

The lizards looked hungry for more bloodshed than just Devin. They wanted anyone else's blood. And, by my books, that blood should be Camilla's. As I looked at my enemy through the gray arena, she looked at me, ready to spill my blood. She's a killing machine. Nothing will satisfy her until my blood is stained on her hands. She needs my blood to survive.

I stood unsteadily on the horn of plenty. I broke my promise to myself. I killed another tribute without meaning to. It was meant for my biggest competition, not her partner. And now, she was ready to kill me. I won't go down without a fight.

"Come on, Ten. You should know by now you won't go home. The Capitol won't allow it. After what happened one hundred years ago with Katniss and Peeta, they won't let a double victory happen." She snarls at both of us.

"Shut up, Camilla!" I yell, kicking a lizard with the number _8 _in the face.

"You don't know that! Maybe they want us to go home together. President Rector announced before we started training that two victors will be crowned. He has to live up to his announcement!" Quaid retorts, clutching his sponsored spear.

"He doesn't have to." Camilla replies. "He's the president. Maybe he wants another romantic show down like Snow wanted, but all he got was a threatened double suicide. And then the Second Rebellion, killing the little girl Katniss tried saving. Katniss and Peeta almost stopped the Hunger Games, a Panem tradition. You how wrong that is?"

"**I can't believe Camilla would say such things. Maybe she's trying to distract her competition and kill them."**

"**I wouldn't be so sure, Chal. Quaid sure has a grip on his spear. Maybe he might strike her down before she can do anything about it."**

"**And, for all you folks at home, the Capitol is going nuts outside. They are screaming for their favorite tribute. Right now, Camilla's name is being shouted all over the Capitol. But, a few brave people are yelling Quaid and Jada's name."**

"**And they should. Quaid and Jada's chances are doubled, since Camilla lost her partner. I place my money on the tributes from One and Ten."**

I kept staring Camilla down. I know she won't charge after us. If she does, she has the chance of 'running into' my knife and Quaid's spear. That's a risk she won't take. She looked poised to kill while the lizards hissed at us. I glanced at Quaid and he threw his sponsored spear. I threw two knives in a spilt second.

She dodged the spear, but one of my knives snagged her shoulder. Another one hit her in the leg. She let out a cry of pain and I knocked her over. I was on top of her with another knife in my hand, ready to end her life. She was the one person I didn't feel bad about her life ending at my hand. The five I killed were innocent people. She isn't.

"Now who's gonna home, dah-ling?" I say, mimicking every Capitol citizen I have ever heard speak. I move her over to the edge of the Cornucopia, letting her head dangle over the mutts. They hissed and reached for their pray. I pulled her up and down, making the hungry mutts reach for their food.

"Cut it out, Ten!" She screams.

"Not until you're dead!" I say with a snarl in my voice, the same snarl she used on Quaid and I a few minutes ago. I pull my knives out of her shoulder and leg. I pull her to her feet and throw her off of the horn of plenty. As soon as she hits the ground, the lizards ambush her.

They eat away at her, making sure nothing is left of her but a hunk of meat. Before long, her cannon fires and the mutts run into the forest. Faith's mutt looks at me, hisses, and meets up with the other mutts. The arena loses its gray hue and changes into a sunny day. The Games are over, with me and Quaid the victors.

We slide off the Cornucopia and touch the ground. Quaid's eyes light up as he looks at me. "We won! We're going home!" He picks me up off of the ground and spins me around.

"I'm coming home!" I yell to the sky.

"**Mommy! Jada won the Hunger Games! She's coming home!"**

"**I knew she would win! Come here, Jace!"**

When Quaid puts me down, I expected the hovercraft to come and pick us up. We waited in silence, waiting for the trumpets to announce our victory. Nothing was heard except the birds.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"Was Camilla right? Was President Rector going to revoke the double victory?" Quaid answers me with a question.

Static feedback fills the air. Chal's voice meets my ears. "Hello, Quaid and Jada. The previous rule has been revoked. The double victory that happened one hundred years ago proved too costly. There can only be one victor. Good luck, remaining tributes." Chal's voice floats away with the wind.

One victor? One victor? Why only one? We went through everything together and now we must kill one another. I can't kill the boy I worked with and…fell in love with. I turn to the golden hair boy who stood out to me at the Reaping and let the tears fall. I can't kill him.

_I can't kill her. She has a family to return to. I have nothing. I couldn't live with myself if I kill her. I just can't let her die. She loves District 10 and she can't end her life in a crappy arena. She will go home, whether she likes it or not._

He gave me a knife that the sponsor gave me. He placed it in my palm and wrapped my fingers around it. "What? I can't…" He cuts me off.

"You have to. Please. I have nothing to return to. You have everything. Jace. Jetta. Your parents. Locomotion. Philomena. What do I have? A whole district laughing at me because of my Academy score. My parents are long gone and I live in the District One foster home. Please?" He pleads. He kisses my forehead with such a gentle nature. The butterfly kisses returned. More clear tears fell from my eyes.

"Okay, Gem Boy." I reply, moving back a few feet. I look at the boy I love, ready to embrace his death. He closes his eyes and I raise the knife above my head. My mind flashes me memories of him. When he told me we were going to get rid of Lucifer. When he stole my knives to get a groosling for dinner. When we swam in the clear water. When we kissed. I can't let that slip from me.

_Please, Jada. You must go home. I can live with you, not without you. You have to do this for your family. Plunge that knife into my chest. Please._

"**Is she going to kill him? Is she going to do it, Daddy?"**

"**I don't know. Please, don't kill him!"**

I dropped the knife in the grass. My feet carried me to my love. My arms wrapped themselves around him. My lips met his. I couldn't let him die. His arms encircled me, holding me tight. He returned my kiss, picking me up off the ground in the process.

_Oh, Cowgirl. You made this ten times harder on yourself. And me. I can't leave you. I love you. I know you love me too. That should be enough of an excuse to let you live. President Rector knows your family. He should let you live._

"**Now, look at that. The commitment from these teenagers to each other. This is making my eyes water."**

"**Don't smear your make-up, Dusk. Let's see the Capitol's reaction…Oh my! It's worse than yours. People are kneeling on the floor, crying at the sight of the lovers who can't be. What do you think about this?"**

"**The president should let them live. They care for one another deeply and they should go home together. He shouldn't force them to kill one another."**

"**Thank you, ma'am. And you sir?"**

"**All I have to say is I wonder what their families are saying."**

"**Me too, sir."**

Quaid forced me to let go. He placed the knife with the purple tinted handle (his favorite color) in my hand. His eyes are also filled with tears and he hands me his death.

"**No! Jada, don't kill him! Don't kill him!"**

"**Jace, she can't hear you."**

"**She shouldn't have to kill him! He loves her! She loves him! Why do they have to do this? They were made for each other! President Rector doesn't know what he just did!"**

"**Please, calm down."**

The knife is poised to kill. As it is raised over my head again, more tears spill.

_Do it, Jada. Do it for me. Do it for your family. Do it for…_

"STOP! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the victors of the Seventh Quarter Quell. Quaid Ethers and Jada Caldwell!"

**A/N: That was longer than I expected, but I hope you enjoyed. But, with the Games over, the story is drawing to a close. I am sad, too. I loved this story so much like Jada loves Quaid. :( Read and review on, guys. **


	21. Your Victors

It happens too fast. The trumpets blare, the hovercraft appears to retrieve their victors, a few doctors examine whatever injuries we have, we landed on the Training Center's roof, and we head to more doctors to take care of the injuries. Whatever medicine they used on me, it was stronger than I expected. I fell into a deep sleep so they could work on me in peace.

I awake to a soft, yellow light. My injuries were minor. The only injuries I can think of are the bruises from when Omar attacked me and the knife cut when Flitter took out her fate on me. I touch my cheek. No sign on the scar. I touched my entire face. There were no bruises present. I don't think Quaid had any injuries.

I start to think of the boy who wanted to risk his life for me. Nothing like that has happened before. I mean, Peeta tried to do it, but Katniss refused and the rest is history. During the 158th Hunger Games, the tributes from 6 separated after the third day. When a tracker jacker attack brought them back to the Cornucopia, they didn't want to kill each other. So, in order to have their victor, the Capitol decided to send out a mutt from the mouth of the Cornucopia. The mutt was designed to kill one tribute only and it chose the boy. The girl, who's named Amelia, screams, "Nelson! Nelson!" over and over again.

Part of the wall rose up and someone walked in. Quaid? Eleora? Kiani? Annabelle? Dane? A girl with blond hair came over to me with a tray. I didn't notice her before. It must be my Avox. I didn't recognize her. I don't even remember her. She comes over to me with a bowl of food, orange juice, and buttered toast. This is something I'd have for breakfast at home.

The Avox sits me up and hands me my food. Her blue eyes had a few flecks of gold in them. I've never seen that before. "Thank you. What's your name?" The Avox nods and grabs a pad and pencil. After a moment of writing, she hands me the pad of paper.

_You're welcome, Jada. I'm Octavia and I was your Avox._

"Octavia," I try out her name. "Is Quaid alright?"

She nods in response.

"Can I see him?" She writes down her response.

_Not until the Hunger Games recap. I wish you could see him._

"Thank you, Octavia." I say. She nods and leaves me to eat my food. Once the food hits my lips, I'm no longer in the Capitol. I'm back in District 10. I'm eating breakfast with Jace and Jetta. The Capitol made the food taste just like home. Not too fancy, but home-like. How fitting. I will be going home in a few days.

The last bit of orange juice goes down my throat when Annabelle, and Kiani enter. Dane wasn't present. He must be drinking down his sorrows. Another tribute he mentored is now dead. The one he didn't mentor is alive. Is this something I have to deal with for upcoming Hunger Games?

"Your Games were amazing!" Kiani squeals. Annabelle cringes at the sound.

"You should have seen the Capitol's reaction when they revoked the double victory!" Annabelle begins to explain. "When Chal said the announcement, everyone went nuts. They were screaming, crying, and ranting. I couldn't believe it."

"And a few people asked the president to reconsider. And he did! It was from everyone's request." Kiani finishes.

"So, I had nothing to do with it? Am I like…" Annabelle cuts me off.

"No. You had nothing to do with it." She answers. I breathe a sigh of relief. "Quaid offered to give up his life for you. After you kissed him good-bye, all bets were off. And, this is blatant; President Rector likes your family. He has a special family in every district. Do you remember the victor from last year?"

"Pace?" I clarify.

"Yes. His family is one of the wealthier families in Three. And your family is the family that supplies the most delicious meat in Panem. Of course he would let you live at his expense. And, if the citizens wanted it, so did President Rector. He wants to see the daughter of a wealthy family happy. And, are you happy with Quaid?"

"Yes!" I say.

"Good. You're set. Now, you can't see Quaid until the presentation of the victor, or victors in your case. You have to be more in love than you already were. The Capitol loved the passion between you two. Can you do that?"

"Yes, I will." I answer.

The conversation was no longer there. I went to the tenth floor, counting down the minutes until I see Quaid again. When I arrive to my room, I found the mockingjay pin from the arena. It did give me strength, but I don't need it anymore. I can only see him in my memory. I didn't want to do anything as long as it involved my golden haired partner. I wonder if he was feeling the same about me…

"_Quaid! Quit wallowing. You'll see her during the Hunger Games recap. I wish you brought back Flitter instead of District 10. She's such a…" I block out the conversation. Why would anyone say those things about the most wonderful girl alive? Shimmer didn't understand how much I love her. And Shimmer is a woman! She should understand about romance. Maybe the Games took away all the love that she had when she was seventeen._

_I lay on my bed, waiting until I can see her. I can still hear her singing to the mockingjays and them singing her song back to her. I can hear her laughing, wrestling around for her knives. I can still see the gleam in her blue eyes. Her eyes were the color of the ocean. I want to see my lovely lady again._

"_Quaid! Come and eat. I know you're hungry! You get to see her in two days. Don't sulk about it!" Stupid Duce. I hate that man. He's too preppy for his own good. He's probably the only escort that is too preppy. Some aren't preppy enough. But, I think he should lose some of his energy._

The day of the recap was here. I get to see him again! Eleora was dressing me in a strapless dress that stopped at my knees. It was a grassy green with a rose pinned on near my breast. The shoes I wore were three inches high and in the same green as my dress. My hair was in loose curls with flowers carefully woven in. On my wrists, Eleora placed a simple bracelet made out of red roses. I felt like a garden.

I took my place under the stage. The musty smell over took my nose. Do they ever clean back here? As I stand in my place, I hear Dusk Shine announce the prep teams of each tribute, District 1 first of course. After the prep teams, the escorts appear. Kiani and Duce. Um…that name is plain stupid. Then, she announces the stylists. Eleora and Cleo. Then, the mentors are introduced. Annabelle and Shimmer. Their applause goes on for about two minutes. They managed to keep two tributes alive from two different districts. That's one for the books. Finally, the plate I am standing on is rising up to the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you your victors. Jada Caldwell and Quaid Ethers!" The lights blinded my eyes for a moment, the crowd's roar deafened my ears for a second, and I turned to see my golden haired partner. He was dressed in a green tux with a rose in the pocket. Our stylists obviously tried to make us match a garden theme.

I run off my plate and straight into Quaid's protective arms. He picked me up off the ground and spun me around. His lips touched mine and gave the audience what they wanted. After our passionate kiss, he kissed my forehead and we headed towards the loveseat. We are sitting so close; I am sitting on his lap. I play it like we were back in the cave and I curl up in his arms. His arms wrap around me and he kisses my head.

Dusk says a few jokes to warm up the audience for the three hour show we are facing. I saw my fellow twenty tributes die the first time, I don't a second time. Once the seal appears, it takes all I have no to run. Under the seal, it reads, _175th Hunger Games_. The first half hour focuses on the pre-arena stuff. Everything seemed much worse, because almost everyone is dead.

Then, the Games begin. It covers the bloodbath and my hand in it. I noticed something I didn't see during the bloodbath. As I was killing Jae, her assigned partner, Stiles, came up behind me. He was ready to kill me with an axe, but Quaid stabbed him in the back before any damage was done to me. I didn't have any time to react. It then shows us in the Career alliance, Camilla killing Neal and Skylar while Quaid's hands are on mine. It then switches to the day when I killed Faith. It took all I had not to look away or break into tears. The video then shows Quaid killing Lucifer, us separating, living in the cave. During the night, while Quaid held me, he whispered my name.

Everything that happened in the Games kept coming back. I wanted to forget the feast. I wanted to forget when I carved _KILLER _into Camilla's arm. I wanted to forget me killing Hollis. I wanted to forget everything. But, I didn't show that. With Quaid holding onto me, I felt safe and warm. The recap ends with the kiss that I thought would be our last. When the recap was over, we stood up and welcomed President Rector himself.

His hair gleamed in the lights and his tux showed his slim figure. A little girl with black hair came on stage with two crowns. Stylists normally don't have a say in the style of the crown that is placed on our heads. But, this year, our crowns were woven out of grass. Rector placed a larger crown on Quaid's head, congratulating him and shaking his hand. He places a tiara sized crown on my head and hugs me. "Return to the farm and continue to make meat for us, okay?" I answer him with a nod and we are whisked away for the Victory Banquet.

We ate so little at the dinner because so many people wanted their picture with the lovers in the Hunger Games. So much light flashed in my eyes, I thought I was going blind. During the Banquet, President Rector made an announcement. "To honor our victors, we want them to give a first dance for us." A slow song blared over the speakers and Quaid pulled me close.

As we swayed to the music, I didn't want to let him go. He was my protection in the Games, my protection now, and forever. "I never let you go, Jada. And now, we escaped with our lives and love." He whispers in my ear.

"I love you." I say.

"You know I feel the same."

**A/N: AWWW! The story is almost over. I believe three or four more chapters will do it. I don't want this story to end, and I don't think it has to. If you want me to write a sequel, I will try my best. Just tell me what you would like to see and I will try to portray it as such. Read and review on, guys. :)**


	22. Final Interviews

The dance ended with our lips meeting. Cameras flashed and the music picked up speed. Quaid and I met our 'biggest fans since the beginning', the head Gamemaker, and everyone else involved with the Games. At one point in the night, someone gave me a glass half filled with a brown liquid. As the mystery liquid touched my tongue, I spit it back into the glass. A few people laughed and one girl with green dyed skin told me it was alcohol. That is something I won't try again.

It was just past four in the morning when I arrived back in my suite. Quaid suggested that we go to the same floor, and I accepted his offer. We rode up to floor 10 together, me holding on to him. To the untrained eye, it might have looked like I was a staggering drunk. But, I was just staggering around because of the lack of sleep I put upon myself. Quaid led me to my bedroom and laid me down on the mattress.

"Goodnight, Jada." He kissed my forehead and he moved towards the door.

"Wait!" I call out. He turns around, staring at me in complete darkness. "Sleep beside me. Please? I don't want to be left alone."

"Anything you want, darling." He crosses over to my bed. We don't even change out of our clothes we wore for the interview. We slip under covers and he places an arm around me. I nuzzle my head to his chest. I feel like I am in the arena again. My mind lets me fall asleep safely in the arms of my love.

When the morning arrives, I find myself in an empty bed. I rub my fingers around the mattress and only feel the warmth from where Quaid was sleeping last night. I sit up, looking around my room. The sun shone through the windows and spilled into the room. Did he leave me?

My bathroom door swung open and I saw the wheat golden hair I've known to love. A towel was wrapped around his waist and his hair was freshly blow dried. His toned muscles were showed off to me as he made his way towards the bed where I was sitting. He parked himself right on the edge of the bed, pulling me closer to him. "Morning, sweetheart."

"Morning, honey." I reply. I am sitting on his lap with my fingers through his hair. I ignored the fact that he was, besides the towel on the lower half of his body, naked. I kissed his cheek and buried my head into his neck. He smelt like fresh roses. I'm sure I smelt like body odor from sleeping in my dress.

Quaid didn't care. Actually, I don't think he'd care if I was covered in dirt. He still would love me anyway. He kissed my exposed shoulder and worked his way up to my lips. As we kissed, I forgot about everything. It was almost as if we were back in the arena. I looked into his emerald eyes. The perfect emerald. He had the best eyes I have ever seen. He poked my side.

"Shouldn't you be getting a shower, Cowgirl? I think you need one." I let out a laugh as I stood up. I walked into my bathroom, undressed, and stepped into the warm water. I let the water get my body soaked and the automated shampoo clean my hair. When my shower finished, I stepped out and got blow dried. I wrapped a fluffy towel around my body and made my way back into my room.

The rest of the day was slow moving until two o'clock for final interviews. I was parted from Quaid one last time to get dressed and ready for my last appearance in the Capitol. When I entered the Remake Center, Eleora had a familiar outfit ready for me. A simple sundress in a pattern of a Holstein, sparkly flats, and white leggings.

It was my chariot ride dress.

"Excited to wear this old thing again?" Eleora asks me, her deep purple hair bouncing.

"Yes and no." I reply, turning to her. "Why am I wearing this?"

"The Gamemakers and President Rector requested it. Since you and Quaid are from different districts, we wanted to show off your special attributes. Hence the reason you are wearing your chariot ride outfit." She explained, handing me my dress.

When I was dressed, I couldn't look at myself without seeing twelve year old Stiles beside me. The grass woven into my braids didn't smell like home anymore. I felt like a completely different person. I am not the fifteen year old girl from District 10. I'm a stranger in my own skin.

Two o'clock rolled around and I was on stage before the interviews started. Dusk Shine was getting her make-up pressed on her face and her starry dress flashed under the lights. I sat on the loveseat and Quaid took his place beside me. He was wearing his gem tux from the chariot rides and I couldn't look at him without seeing Flitter.

"How are you feeling?" Dusk asks.

"Nervous." I say.

"Don't worry." She reassures me. "This is just like the interviews before the Games. Only, this time, you're with Quaid and not by yourself. Just stay loose and you'll have fun up here, I promise."

Quaid's hand weaves itself in mine and all I can do is smile. His perfect emerald eyes kept me from losing my mind. I felt safe in his arms, just like in the arena.

In ten seconds flat, we are on live T.V for all of Panem to see. Dusk introduces herself, gives her opinion on this year's Hunger Games, and turns the attention towards us. She asks about, pretty much everything. I speak only short responses, but I know I have to speak more than just one sentence or two.

"Now, when was the moment you realized you were in love with her?" She asks Quaid.

There is no hesitation in his voice. "The moment we were paired together in the Training Center."

"And you, Jada?"

"Well, I believe it was when he covered my ears from the chainsaw attack." I referenced to Camilla and her monstrous ways with that weapon.

I knew what question was going to be asked next.

"When the announcement was made that only one victor could be crowned, I saw complete fear in your face, Quaid." She starts. "What was it like to offer up your life in exchange for hers?"

Quaid sighs and looks right at me. "It was the only thing I could do. She has a family to go home to. She has a best friend to return to. She has everything I wish I had. And, if my fate was to die in the arena for her, I would accept it." Sighs of sympathy ripped through the audience.

"What about you, Jada? What was going through your head when he said 'Kill me'?" Those weren't his words. Regardless, I answered the question put upon me.

"My mind was racing. I couldn't believe he wanted me to kill him. I couldn't do it, but I knew I had to if I wanted to go home. I couldn't bear the thought of losing him." I say, holding onto his hand.

"Now, this is what is going through everyone's mind at this point. Where are you two going to live?"

I haven't thought of that. I love District 10 with all my heart, but if I have children, I want them to have a better chance than I did in the Games. But, if I live in District 1, I'll be away from Hadley, Jace, Jetta, my parents, and the farm. I look at Quaid, and he returns my stare. _Where are we going to live?_

"We'll decide after the Victory Tour." Quaid answers. That's good enough for me. It gives me time to live in Victor's Village with Annabelle and my family, and decide where I will live.

The interviews wrap up and I am on my way to the tenth floor with Quaid. When we reach my room, we lay in the bed like we did the night before. It was only four in the afternoon and we just lay in my bed. We needed time to discuss our living arrangements.

"Where are we going to live?" I ask. Quaid's emerald eyes look into me.

"I want you to live with me in District One. You'll like it there, sweetheart. Plus, we'll be in the Victor's Village living in the same house. Would you like that?" He starts. Tears form in my eyes.

"I'll just be so far away from my family." I whisper.

"You can give them your house in Victor's Village and you can call them. They have phones in those houses, right?" I nod in response.

He kisses my forehead. "I don't mean to rush you. Besides, the Victory Tour isn't for about six months. You can decide then." He wraps me in his arms and doesn't let go.

I kiss his lips and he kisses back. All this time, I thought the Games would chew me up and spit me out, leaving nothing good from it. I did get something good. I got Quaid Ethers, the boy who would take his life for me and let me live. I got my life, along with a boy who loves me and cares for me. That is something that is hard to let go.


	23. We Are Going Home

_60, 59, 58, 57, 56… I look around. I am standing on my starting plate, ready to begin the Hunger Games. Wait…I already won the Games with Quaid. As I look at my fellow tributes, I don't see anyone I recognize. Lucifer, Flitter, Camilla, Quaid and Stiles aren't there. They are replaced with bloody versions of themselves. It looked like they have already been through these Games._

_46, 45, 44, 43, 42… The clock above the Cornucopia counts down. I turn to my left and Lucifer is there, with his throat slit and eyes a pale gray. On my right is Faith, my throwing knife in her back. Blood dripped from the wound and onto the plate. Camilla was five plates to my left. She looked like a hunk of meat._

_32, 31, 29, 28, 27… Do I have to fight in the Games? Everyone is dead. Or mangled to the point of not looking like a human anymore. I see Kade from District 7 with my butcher knife still in his skull. Blood was dripping into his pale eyes and on his pale skin. Everyone is dead._

_17, 16, 15, 14, 13… The clock continued to count down. I had a feeling that the Capitol set this up so I have to kill zombies of my fellow tributes. Do I have to kill them all again? As the final seconds count down, my heart beats faster than the first time I was in the arena._

_3, 2, 1… The gong sounds and I make a dash to the Cornucopia for the throwing knives. When my fingers wrap themselves around my weapon, I turn around and see everyone already dead. They lie on the ground, not breathing, and not moving. I look at every corpse and see their face. Lucifer, Flitter, Devin, Faith, Kade, Jae, Carly, Neal… Twenty one cannon shots fire in the air. _

_Twenty one? Where is Quaid? As I search through the corpses, I kick each one that isn't my lover. Rahi, Collin, Lily, Parker, Milo, and Hollis. When I reach my love, his face is in the grass. When I pull at his body, his face faces me. His eyes are a dim shade of green, no longer the emerald I've known to love. His skin color was drained and his whole body was gray scale. Everything in the arena, except me, was gray scale. I was as colorful as the rainbow._

_A knife with a purple tinted handle was lodged in his heart. Blood was stained on his jacket, skin, and all over his body. My mouth dropped and my heart hammered more than when the clock was ticking down to my death. I won with this boy. Why is he dead with my knife in his chest?_

_A sound escapes my lips. It fills the arena and bounces back to me. It wasn't an echo; it was the jabberjays! They screamed my screams back to me and I just couldn't stop. I looked at the knife that was lodged in my lover's chest. It was my knife that the sponsors gave me. It was my knife that he placed in my hands to kill him. I killed my lover._

_I kept screaming._

"Jada!" A boy's voice called in my ears. "Jada! Jada, wake up!" His hands clench my wrists and I open my eyes. I see Quaid, holding me down with him on top of me. "Are you okay?"

"It was a terrible nightmare." I say, slowing down my breathing. "I killed you. I screamed and jabberjays repeated my screams. My knife was in your chest. I…" Quaid's finger placed itself on my lips and silenced me.

"Like you said, it was a nightmare. It wasn't real." His voice calmed me. "I'm alive and I'm here. Don't worry about a thing. Shh." He wipes my tears away and kisses my forehead.

He fell off of me and onto the bed. Today was the day. Today was the day I left the Capitol and Quaid to return home. Six months from now will be our Victory Tour and I have to make a choice on where I will live. District 1 or 10. I look to the ceiling and slow my breathing down even more. I turned to my lover and curled up beside him.

His arms wrapped around me. By the look of the windows, it was about six in the morning with the sun just peaking out above the horizon. My bedroom door swung open and I saw Annabelle in the frame. Her hair was in a messy bun and her eyes looked bloodshot. "I heard screaming!"

"It was just a nightmare." I say. "It's fine."

"I remember the nightmares." She replies, rubbing her eyes. "They go away after a while, just you see." She closes my door as I close my eyes again.

The sun spilled into the bedroom, telling me it was time to wake up. Actually, that was Quaid. During my sleep, he picked me up and placed me on the carpet where the sun was shining. I woke up to intense heat on my cheek. When I saw him snickering on the bed, I tackled him with the Capitol pillows on my bed.

I got dressed in the same green dress I wore on Reaping day. As we boarded the train, the Capitol citizens saw us off. They kept screaming, 'We'll see you on the Victory Tour!' at us as we departed. Quaid and I were sitting in a separate compartment than Kiani, Duce, Annabelle, Shimmer and everyone else. We put in past Hunger Games tapes and watched them in their entirety.

We decided to watch the 74th Hunger Games. That wasn't my favorite Games, but it always intrigued me. I loved Katniss's stylist and his idea of fake flames. Quaid loved the Games themselves. I didn't mind much; he came from a district where the Games are an opportunity to bring pride upon your district and family. As I look at the tributes that year, my favorite was the girl from 5, Genevieve. She was the prettiest of all the girls, including Glimmer. She was also the smartest. She got a seven in training and survived the best way anyone could; sneaking food out of the Careers and staying hidden. If it weren't for the nightlock berries, she would have won. I wonder what would have happened if she won. There wouldn't have been a Second Rebellion, District 12 still would have been here, and maybe the lead over Panem would have been more relaxed than it is now.

I didn't mind so much for Katniss and Peeta. After learning about them in school, I learned to detest them. Instead on focusing on them, I focused on everyone else. Glimmer, Marvel, Cato, Clove, and Genevieve were my favorites. I wonder if Quaid knows anyone from Glimmer and Marvel's family. Almost everyone looks like them. Blond hair and green eyes are common in District 1. Kind of like how brown hair and blue eyes are common in District 10. As we watched, I loved Cato's speech before he suffered a painful death. _Just one more kill. One more kill and you win._ That always gave me the shivers.

Just as the 74th Hunger Games tape ended, Shimmer popped into our compartment. Her blond curls bounced and her green eyes shown as she looked at her victor. "We are nearing District One. They want you both out there, so you can say good-bye to the public." She snarled at me as she returned to her compartment.

"Does she hate me?" I ask. Quaid shakes his head.

"She just lost all compassion after her Games. Just ignore her." He holds my hand, fingers woven through mine, and stands up. The train slowed down as we arrived at Quaid's home district. When the train stopped, I saw the large crowd of people ready to see their victor. "Come on. They won't hurt you." He coaxed me to leave the train.

As I stood beside Quaid, our hands interlocked, I couldn't help but feel nervous. This isn't my district and the only way these people know me is that I made out with their victor. A boy with brown hair came up to Quaid and me. "Nice job on the victory, Ethers. Is this Jana?"

"Jada." I correct him. He nods and looks at Quaid.

"She's a pretty one. Better keep tabs on her when she goes home." He smacks Quaid's shoulder and walks away.

Quaid and I turn to face each other one last time. He draws me in for an embrace, our last embrace for six months. My eyes filled with tears as he squeezed me. "You'll see me again. I promise."

"I know. I'll see you on the Victory Tour." I say, letting the tears fall. He releases me and uses his index finger to pull my lips to his. He picks me up and spins me around, just like on the Hunger Games recap night. When he placed me on the ground, Shimmer whisked him away and Annabelle led me back into the train.

The rest of the way home was boring without him. I watched past Hunger Games, but it wasn't the same without Quaid. With each kill I watched, I only though of my lover. As one tribute smashed another tribute's face in with a brick, covering it with blood, I barely winced. All the death has left me numb.

I fall asleep on the couch watching people of Panem die. When I awaken, Annabelle is telling me to get ready to see everyone again. I wait until the train stops and walk out with Annabelle and Kiani. The first people I see are Jace and Jetta. The run to me, screaming my name and hugging me tighter than Quaid did. My parents also come to greet me. I wrap my arms around my father, squeezing him tight.

The last person I see is Hadley. When my siblings let me go, Hadley wraps her arms around me. Her auburn hair has more color and definition than when I last saw it. Her body seemed to have more meat on her bones, just like I told her to do. Tears seeped from her eyes onto my shoulder. My family and Hadley lead me to the Caldwell farm. We will only be using the Victor's Village house when we need a break from working.

When I see Philomena, I jump the fence and wrap my arms around my favorite animal. "Jada, be careful. She is in…a delicate condition." My father says as I release my grip on my cow.

"She's…pregnant?" I ask, my voice oozing with excitement. My dad nods in response. I hug Philomena more gently and kiss her neck. "You'll be a wonderful mommy cow." When I let her go, I run to the horse barn. I see Locomotion eating his dinner, not looking at me. When I come closer to my horse, his eyes light up. He rubs his nose to my cheek and pulls at my hair with his teeth.

I'm finally home. But…do I want to stay here? Will Quaid want to live on my farm with me? Or will I live with him in District 1? I will have to wait and see.

**A/N: This is the end, guys. I'm so sad. But! I am writing a sequel! I'm not sure what I am naming it yet, but I want to thank you all so much for reading my FanFiction. I want to thank every single one of you. You kept me writing and you put up with my countless grammar mistakes that I typed to fast to catch. Thank you so much. :) Read and review on, guys!**


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